Elite Empire
by crionics99
Summary: Sequel to Remnant Empire. The Kanto Elite Four are the masterminds behind the Rocket United movement, and Misty, Ash and their friends are the only ones in a position to prevent them from using Rocket United to take control of the world. But do they really have what it takes to stop the world's four toughest trainers?
1. The Plan for Infiltration

"Okay, I think those rocks are pretty much dead, Raichu," Misty chuckled. "You can rest now."

Raichu was having none of it, though. Panting hard, Raichu powered up another Thunderbolt and shattered the broken rocks into dust, shortly before collapsing backwards. She was exhausted, but just like Misty, she refused to stop until she knew she'd given all she had. Misty wandered over to her and rubbed her belly and her head.

"Part of training is knowing when to rest, little girl," she told Raichu with a smile. "It's no good wearing yourself out all in one go. You won't be able to train tomorrow."

"That's right," Ash agreed, with Pikachu standing next to him. "Take it from me, Pikachu and I would have lost dozens, maybe hundreds of battles over the years if we'd over-trained and wore ourselves out."

"You'd have _won_ hundreds more if you actually _bothered_ to train most of the time," Misty teased.

"Hey, I train," Ash frowned, his arms folded across his chest. "You've seen me train loads of times. What have I just been doing?"

"Eating!" Misty told him, half-shouting.

"That was _after!_ We were training before that!"

"All these years, and you still haven't learnt a damn thing," Brock interrupted, shaking his head as he approached from behind a hill.

"See?" Misty pointed at Brock, addressing Ash with a smug look on her face. "Brock knows you as well as I do."

"I was talking to _you_, Misty," Brock told her.

"What do you mean?" she scowled.

"You two always fight about stupid things, and you know Ash is too stubborn to admit he's ever wrong about anything, yet you argue with him anyway."

"But he's _wrong!_"

"Yes, I know," Brock rolled his eyes. "Why do you even care? Just let him believe what he wants to and move on with your life."

"I can't just let him be wrong about something," Misty answered in frustration. "He's too…_wrong_."

"Forget I said anything," he sighed. "Maybe _I'm_ the one who should know better. I knew I should have gone with Erika and the others."

"And miss the show? This is too good. Have they really been like this the whole time they've known each other?" Amber asked, appearing from behind some trees.

"Yeah, pretty much," Brock answered. "It was actually a bit of a relief when Misty went back to Cerulean to run the gym. For about a week, then we met May and it started all over again."

"See? It's not my fault at all! Ask May!" Misty insisted.

"I'd love to, but no one can seem to find her," Amber said sadly. "Or Dawn, or Serena, or anyone else, for that matter. No one's seen or heard from them since this all started."

"Which is another reason why we have to focus on what we're doing, and stop arguing like a bunch of kids," Brock scolded. "We keep up this kind of slow progress and we'll never find May and the others."

"Finding them will be the least of our worries if we don't all get in shape," Amber concurred. "I still can't get over how easily the Elite Four beat us."

"Imagine how Erika and Gary feel," Ash added. "They got beaten and they didn't even have a battle."

"At least they got _seduced_ out cold by a sexy lady. James and I were crushed half to death by Bruno and his enormous arms," Brock reminded him.

"Good point," he agreed.

"That _does_ remind me of something I've been wanting to say to you guys for a while now," Misty said. "Maybe _we_ should learn how to fight too. You know, like self-defence, instead of always relying on our Pokémon. There's been quite a few times when I've had to fight my way out of trouble, and I think I've been pretty lucky most of the time. We won't always be in a position to use our Pokémon, like against Lorelei and Bruno."

"I don't think you need help hurting people, Mist," Ash frowned. "I've still got scars from being punched by you."  
"And I've fought you myself, you're pretty tough," Amber agreed, "but I also think you're probably right. It can only help us if we don't need to rely on our Pokémon_ all_ the time."

"That can be arranged," Celadon Officer Jenny said as she approached the group. Behind her were the other members of the taskforce: Erika, Sabrina, Gary, James and Meowth.

"CJ! Good to see you," Amber smiled.

"How's your training coming along?" Jenny asked to no one in particular.

"It's going well, all our Pokémon are getting a lot stronger," Brock answered, "but I think I speak for everyone when I say we don't think it's gonna be enough."

The whole group sombrely looked down at their feet. Misty was thinking exactly that, and she knew everyone else was too. It didn't seem to matter how much training they did right now, the Elite Four would still destroy them.

"We've been at this every day for the last month," Ash spoke up. "That's a whole lotta training, and we're definitely a lot better now than we were before we started. I mean, having the others around really helps, but we're supposed to battle the _Elite Four_. Those guys have been training their whole lives, and they hardly ever lose. A month of training isn't going to get us to _that_ level. Otherwise everyone would be beating them."

"You know, you're actually pretty smart sometimes," Sabrina commented.

"Thanks!" Ash said, gleefully unaware of the backhanded compliment.

"He's right though," Gary chimed in, casually sitting on a rock nearby that hadn't been destroyed by Misty's Raichu. "One month of training isn't going to prepare us to face the Elite Four. Only a lifetime of dedication, sacrifice and hard work is gonna do that."

"That's very true," Jenny nodded.

"Then with respect," Erika questioned, "why are we even here? Surely we should be planning and preparing in other, more useful ways."

"We _have _been preparing," Jenny answered calmly. "You guys need to be prepared too, though. Remember, you're all very experienced, very talented trainers. As gifted as any of the trainers who've won Pokémon League tournaments in the past. A little intensive training is all you need to be at the top of your game, and that'll put you as close to the Elite Four as can be expected of anyone. Meanwhile, Professor Oak, myself and several others have been analysing data and observing Rocket United's movements over the last month or so, and trying to figure out what their plans might be. That's why I'm here now."

"Then you've found something?" Amber asked.

"Yes, but I think you should all freshen up first," Jenny suggested. "You've had a long, sweaty day and you might want to be a bit more relaxed when you hear this."

With that, the group left for their quarters, a short walk from where they were training.

* * *

The training had been taking place near Pallet Town, in the woods to the south of Oak's property. Due to there being no towns for miles, and barely any population to speak of, the Rocket United presence was almost non-existent. Pallet Town itself was still locked down under Rocket rule, but Oak's ranch was huge and very well protected, having survived thus far without any serious interference from the Rockets. They'd been staying there, in a guest house on the opposite side of the property to the main house and lab, that Oak had had built a few years ago. Because of the sheer size of Oak's property these days, it was physically impossible to study all the Pokémon that stayed there. Not all of them were near the lab, either. Some preferred to stay in the hills, near the woods, or near the lakes, and it was too much effort to take all the necessary equipment from one side of the property and back again each day, so Oak had the guest house built to accommodate four couples at once.

Of course, not being four couples, the group had had to decide who was staying where. Sabrina had claimed a bed for herself, the others being far too frightened of her to disagree. Ash complained that Misty shouldn't get her own bed, that she should have to share with Sabrina to save space, but let the matter go when Misty became violent. Amber and Erika had to share a bed, after Brock said he would be happy to share a bed with one of the girls to save space.

Gary was the only man to receive his own bed, due to the only remaining bed being his own anyway. James, Meowth, Ash and Brock all had to sleep on the sofas.

Once they arrived back from their training that day, the group's Pokémon relaxed either inside with them, or outside with the other Pokémon on the ranch. Most slept, but some – like Pikachu – stayed awake to hear what was going on.

"So," Jenny began, "the reason I'm here is that there's been a number of developments lately. I know nothing much has happened in the last month since you've all been training, and frankly it's had us all a bit worried. We knew something big was going to happen, but we had no idea what exactly."

"Why have they waited so long to do anything?" Ash asked, echoing many of the group's thoughts. "They already had everything they needed to do whatever they want, nothing's changed since then. Isn't it a bit risky for them to sit around on their hands for a whole month?"

"Not really," Jenny answered. "Who's going to do anything to stop them? Every major town and city in the whole world is under Rocket United martial law, and they've already proven that no one can stand against them. There's no risk to them. But I agree, the whole reason we've been worried is that there's no point in them to do nothing when they could be accelerating their plans. But then we heard from the Kanto Police Commissioner, and everything started to make sense."

No one said anything. They were all hanging on Jenny's every word, so she continued.

"The commissioner, as you all know, is the one who set this taskforce up in the first place. Two days ago, he contacted us to tell us we were being shut down."

"Shut down?" Amber asked. "Why?"

Jenny sighed. "We didn't know at first, but then we saw a press conference. He was telling all of Kanto to remain calm and to obey the 'Rocket United representatives', and that they wouldn't hurt anyone as long as no one did anything stupid."

"He's been bought," Gary sneered. "I wonder how much a police commissioner costs?"

"But how could the Elite Four bribe him?" Amber wondered. "They're powerful and scary, but I wouldn't have thought they'd have that much in the way of disposable income. Only Giovanni would have that kind of money, but he's under protective lockdown. The only other person who can access his money is Jessie, and she's –"

"– that's where the troubling part begins," Jenny interrupted. "Early this morning we received multiple distress calls. Most were from the major PDs, but we also got calls from all the big gyms. Celadon PD was the first to go down, and Jessie was recaptured by Rocket United. Take a look at this."

She pulled out a tablet and showed the group footage of Vermillion Gym from what seemed to be across the street. After a few moments several dozen Rocket United grunts appeared from both sides of the street and marched on the gym.

"We got a distress call from Lieutenant Surge moments before this happened," Jenny explained.

"That's their big move," Misty deduced. "They're taking over the police and the gyms, probably to make sure there's no resistance."

"Take out the law enforcement, take out the major rallying point, gain back your financial support." James agreed. "It's what I'd do."

"Hang on a sec," Brock snapped. "If they've taken the gyms, then my family might be in trouble. I have to go help them! They're running the Pewter Gym!"

"Hold on, Brock," Sabrina said calmly. "CJ has something else to say about that, before you go rushing off to an early grave."

"Um, yes, I do actually," Jenny stammered. "Sorry, I'm still not used to you doing the psychic thing."

"If it puts you at ease, I don't read your mind constantly," Sabrina grinned. "And I agree. You'd look _totally_ sexy in one of my outfits."

Jenny gulped as everyone turned to look at her quizzically. Her face went beet red and she quickly attempted to changed the subject.

"Uh…right…um…ha! Oh that's really quite awkward now…so Brock, no, don't go rushing off so quickly, there's more details."

"Would you like me to tell them for you?" Sabrina giggled.

"No! That's fine!" Jenny laughed nervously. "You've done enough already, thankyou Sabrina!"

She cleared her throat and recomposed as Sabrina sat back looking very pleased with herself.

"Right, so when the gym leaders called in, we offered them evac via the Pallet Pidgeys, but they all declined, them being gym leaders and all. They wanted to stay and protect their friends and families. We think the Elite Four plan on capturing them and using them as publicity for Rocket United."

"Then they can make a big show of 'rescuing' them later," James nodded. "Smart."

"Hey, kimono girl," Meowth, who had been quietly listening up until this point, said to Erika. "Don't you got spies all over da place? Can't dey tell us what's going on?"

"They've been reporting to CJ while we've been training," she told him. "Have they reported anything?"

Jenny's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, Erika. All of them have missed their last check-ins. They were due to report today, and we haven't heard a thing. That's something else I wanted you all to do while you're out investigating the gyms."

"Is that all?" Brock asked impatiently, getting to his feet. "Because I'd really like to go and make sure my father and my brothers and sisters are alright."

"Sit down, Brock," Sabrina told him

"Just 'cause you don't _have_ any loved ones, doesn't mean I have to let mine die while we sit here discussing the problem!" Brock shouted.

She sighed and sat back, appearing to relax, not bothered by Brock's outburst. Suddenly Brock started to sit back down, although he remained angry.

"Hey! Let me go! I don't _wanna_ sit down!"

"This is for your own good, Brock," Sabrina told him. "Misty and Erika have loved ones too, and they know better than to go rushing off into the night with no plan and no support. I'll ignore your little comment, too."

"Fine," he said, finally relaxing. "I guess you're right."

"It's okay, Brock," Misty said in her most calming voice. "Your dad's a gym leader too. He's not helpless. I'm sure your brothers and sisters are being kept safe."

Jenny, who was quite glad to have a distraction after Sabrina's mind-reading, stepped forward and continued, reaching into her satchel.

"Just a couple more things," she said. "Then you can get some rest and leave at first light tomorrow."

She handed each of them an earpiece.

"These are new, we managed to grab them before we were kicked out of Celadon PD by the commissioner," she explained. "They're quite simple to use. One press activates or deactivates both mic and speaker. Press and hold will mute the mic, double press will mute the speaker. If we try to reach you while the speaker is off, both the earpiece and your phone will vibrate once."

"Where are we being assigned?" Erika asked. "I'd kind of like to go to Celadon and make sure my people are safe."

"Of course," Jenny nodded. "Brock, you and James will go to Pewter, then Veridian. I know there's no gym leader in Veridian at the moment, but be careful all the same. Veridian has the highest concentration of Rocket United members in Kanto, at last check.

"Misty and Ash, you two will go to Cerulean, then to Saffron. Remember, Saffron City has Silph, so it'll be dangerous. The most powerful trainers in Rocket United are probably going to be found there, guarding whatever Silph has made for them.

"Amber and Sabrina, you're going to Cinnabar Island, then Fuchsia City. Blaine's call was cut off suddenly, so expect the worst when you get there. Cinnabar Island is very remote, but a lot of people have gone there to try and escape from Rocket United, thinking it's safer. Also, remember that Fuchsia Gym is full of traps."

"I'm a psychic, I'll be fine," Sabrina assured her.

"I know, that's why I'm sending you and not Ash."

"Hey, I know my way around that place better than anyone!" Ash insisted. "I've been caught in all those traps before!"

Everyone started chuckling at him, much to his confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"That leaves Erika and Gary," Jenny continued.

"Garika," Sabrina smirked.

"Garika?" Gary frowned. "Really?"

"It's your couple name," she winked. "All the cool couples have their own couple name. I do actually watch TV sometimes."

"Garika is totally cute," Misty swooned. "I love it!"

"We're not a couple," Gary said with crossed arms.

"I kind of like it," Erika said flatly.

"What?" Gary asked, totally perplexed.

"We'll talk about this later," she said, not impressed at all. "Where are we going, Jenny?"

"Um…right," she mumbled, an eyebrow raised. "You two go to Celadon first, then go to Vermillion."

"Right," Gary replied seriously, trying to forget what had just transpired.

"Now, you need to report back as often as possible," Jenny explained. "If we don't hear from you for six hours, we'll assume something's gone wrong. One more thing – if you go looking like that, you'll all be spotted and probably captured, or worse."

"Looking like what?" James asked.

"She means your blue hair gives you away, dumbass," Meowth chided.

"Oh I can fix that," James smiled. "Jessie and I were masters of disguise back in the day. I always carry some dye with me just for this purpose."

"Well, all the same, I think you should all come back to the lab before you settle in for the night," Jenny said. "A couple of the other Jennies are assisting me with the monitoring side of things back there – since we can't use Celadon PD anymore – and they brought some clothes and other things with them. You all need to change your looks completely. We can't risk anyone recognising you guys. Particularly Misty, Brock, Sabrina and Erika. Everyone knows you."

"I'm _not_ changing my clothes," Sabrina insisted.

"And _I'm_ not changing my hair," Misty added.

"Oh, I don't know," Erika smiled happily. "It sounds like fun to me. I rather enjoy dress-ups. You get to pretend you're someone else for a while."

"I _like_ my red hair," Misty growled. "I'm not dying it."

"Well then you can walk right into your home town and be spotted immediately by every Rocket grunt and every member of the public, but _I'm_ not getting caught with you," Ash told her. "You can go on your own. Besides, if I have to change my clothes and hair, then so do you."

"Misty, you'd look adorable with nice black hair like mine," Erika told her.

"Really?" she asked skeptically. "What about my freckles and my eyebrows?"

"No one will be looking at those too carefully," Jenny said. "It's mainly your red hair and…clothing…they'll be looking out for," she said, observing Misty's denim booty shorts. "If you go in with a different hair colour and style, and different clothes no one will know it's you."

"Besides, it's only temporary," Amber assured her. "My natural hair colour is red, like yours. Hence my name. I only dye it blonde because I was sick of all the jokes."

Misty folded her arms across her chest and huffed a bit, but finally conceded.

"Fine. As long as it's temporary."

"Then it's settled," Jenny smiled wryly, looking directly at Sabrina. "Let's go get you guys some new looks."

Sabrina smirked at her as she walked past, and Jenny raised an eyebrow in confusion. She looked her up and down, as if measuring her, making Jenny nervous.

"What are you doing?"

"I know you're planning on trying out some of my outfits," she giggled. "Go right ahead. We look like we're about the same size."

Jenny went bright red again as Sabrina walked past.

"Oh, no…I really couldn't, it's not really my style –"

"–you can't always be a police officer, Jenny. Once we take down the Elite Four, you'll have a lot more time for…other things."

"Get going, Sabrina," Jenny grumbled. "And stop reading my thoughts."


	2. Return to Cerulean City

"Come on, James," Brock yelled impatiently. "Hurry up! If my family is hurt because we took too long to get there, I'll kill you."

"It's not my fault!" he shouted back. "Meowth won't come out of the bathroom!"

A few moments later they both appeared, and Meowth was wearing a trench coat and hat.

"_What _are you _wearing_?" Brock asked.

"You guys get to wear disguises, so I am too," he answered. "No one will recognise me now!"

"The point of the disguises is so we don't draw attention to ourselves!" James scolded. "People are going to notice a talking Meowth walking on two feet, dressed like a detective, you idiot furball!"

"Oh yeah…"

"No time for that, let's just go. The Pidgeot are waiting," Brock insisted.

Before the others even realised, Brock, James and Meowth were gone. Erika and Gary, Sabrina and Amber, and Misty and Ash were all busily making sure they had everything ready. Erika and Gary were dressed as a young, trendy couple, and they both seemed quite comfortable in their new outfits.

Gary was dressed in slim jeans and an open flannel shirt over a plain white tank, his hair dyed platinum blonde, while Erika had gone with red hair tied back in a ponytail, and some of Misty's clothes. She actually looked a little like a younger version of Misty, despite the fact that she was nearly seven years older. She wore some of Misty's shorts and a sky-blue crop top, and was busy practising a different accent, which sounded even more refined and proper than her normal speaking voice.

"We really should get going as well, since Brock appears to have taken off already," she said. "Good luck, everyone. Stay safe."

Gary and Erika mounted their Pidgeots and took off as the others waved goodbye. Amber then started checking Misty out, looking her up and down as Sabrina helped her with her outfit.

"I know," Misty winked. "I look awesome."

"Don't bother bringing your Pokémon with you," Amber laughed. "If I was guarding those gyms, I'd just let you in and give you what you want."

She turned to Ash then, whose mouth was open wide, his eyes staring unblinking at her body. She giggled at him and strutted over.

"Well, Ash?" she asked. "What do you think?"

"Wow," he mumbled, still staring at her.

She placed a tightly gloved hand underneath his chin and gently lifted it until he was looking her in the eyes.

"Hey," he muttered dumbly.

"I think you've hypnotised him, Mist," Amber laughed.

She spun on her chunky block heels, turning to face the others, purposely flicking her new black and blue-streaked hair in Ash's face.

"So this is what it's like to be a normal person looking at someone like me," Sabrina smirked. "I'm just glad it fits you so well."

"Like a _glove_, Sabrina darling," Misty giggled. "I feel _fantastic_. I wish I'd had this outfit at the tournament."

Sabrina and Amber were dressed much more conservatively, looking like a pair of tourists. Sabrina wore a simple summer dress which, combined with her new crimson red hair, made her completely unrecognisable, almost the polar opposite of her normal self. Amber's outfit was a simple flowery blouse with a pair of Misty's shorts, to go with the tropical tourist theme, and her hair was dyed dark brown.

Ash and Misty were totally different. Ash was dressed in a black hooded sweater and black skinny jeans, his black hair shaved on the sides, streaked with blue, and spiked up on top. He looked a little like one of the old Team Skull grunts. Misty was dressed in full goth attire, and looked like a slightly shorter and fitter Sabrina. She'd even borrowed a pair of Sabrina's tight, shiny pants and matching cropped tank, complete with matching elbow-length gloves and chunky leather knee-boots. The two of them looked like they were going to a music festival, which was important seeing as they were going back to Misty's home town. She was more famous there than anywhere else, and any clues to her identity would be quickly picked up on.

"Well, I guess we should make a move too," Misty smiled. "We _do_ have an important job to do."

"It's good to keep your spirits up too, though," Jenny reminded them. "There's no point stressing yourselves out before you even get there."

Her face turned serious then.

"Be careful out there, okay? Look out for each other and remember to report in. I'll see you all soon."

They all turned towards their Pidgeots, but Amber called back to Misty before they could leave.

"Hey, don't I get a goodbye hug?" she asked cutely.

Misty smiled and sauntered over to her.

"Of course you can," she said as she wrapped her arms around Amber's neck, then squealed and jumped as Amber's hands grabbed her butt.

"Sorry, I saw it and I just had to squeeze it," she laughed.

Misty playfully slapped her on the arm, and Amber winked at her as she turned around and jumped on her Pidgeot. Amber and Sabrina quickly flew off in the opposite direction to Misty and Ash, and the journey back to her home town of Cerulean City began.

* * *

"What a disaster," Ash commented as they flew in for a landing in the early morning light.

"I barely recognise it," Misty agreed. "I want my city back."

"We'll take it back," Ash promised. "This place deserves better."

They dismounted their Pidgeots and told them to stay out of sight, then made their way towards the gym. They'd landed near the caves to the west of the city, and it was a reasonably short walk. They received more attention than they'd expected to, from both regular members of the public as well as the Rocket United grunts patrolling around, but it was mostly because they looked so different. Nobody recognised them, and that was exactly what they were hoping for. None of the regular people stared for too long, for fear of the patrolling Rockets, only the Rockets themselves acted inappropriately.

They found the Pokémon Centre nearest to the gym and decided to stop in there first, as Misty knew the local Nurse Joy well. They were actually friends outside of their normal jobs, and Misty insisted she could get some useful information from her before they set out to do any proper scouting and infiltrating. As they entered the Pokémon Centre, they immediately noticed the Rocket presence inside, as well as the fearful atmosphere amongst the few trainers. There were Pokémon everywhere that looked like they needed attention, and barely any of them seemed to be getting any. The trainers looked up at Misty and Ash for barely a second, just long enough to convey a sense of pity and resignation.

"It's worse than I thought," Ash noted. "These people…they're scared. See how they look at us?"

"I know…just play along," Misty whispered.

They approached the front desk, where an exhausted looking Nurse Joy greeted them with a forced smile.

"Joy?" Misty asked enthusiastically, putting on her act. "Is that you? Oh my _GOD!_ I haven't seen you in _years!_ Remember me? It's Kristy! From Celadon!"

"I-I think so…" Nurse Joy replied, unsure of what to say.

"I can understand you not recognising me," Misty winked at her. "I've changed quite a bit since you last saw me, at that gym, remember? But look at you! You're as beautiful as ever. Please tell me you have a few minutes to catch up with an old friend?"

"Kristy?" Nurse Joy caught on. "Oh it's so good to see a friendly face! You look amazing, sweetie! Of course I have some time for you. It's been way too long, I thought you'd disappeared for good this time! Come on, let's go out back, I'll make you some coffee. Chansey? Can you look after the front desk for me?"

Misty and Ash followed Joy around the desk and out to the back of the Pokémon Centre as Chansey happily took her place, but they were stopped by a Rocket United grunt on their way.

"You do what I tell you to, when I tell you to do it, _Joy_," the grunt said firmly. "I didn't say you could go anywhere. And _you_," he said, addressing Ash mostly, but also Misty, "I don't know you. You're staying out here, where I can see you."

"I don't think so, pal," Ash countered angrily, but Misty turned and gave him a death stare, which shut him up immediately.

She turned back to face the grunt, a sultry smile on her face. She slowly stepped up to the grunt, crossing her legs one in front of the other as she walked, purposely making her shiny pants produce sexy squeaking noises. The grunt's eyes darted down, checking her out.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," she said softly. "Unless you want me to…you're in charge here, right? I promise I'll be good…"

She lightly traced a fingernail down his chest, biting her lower lip. The grunt tried to hide it, but Misty saw him gulp slightly.

"My friend and I have to catch up first, but I promise we won't be long. You'll see me soon, okay?"

She crossed her legs and straightened them out, producing a long, loud squeak from her pants as she gently caressed his cheek with a shiny gloved hand. The grunt tried to hold his composure, but he kept looking down at her body, and she could see him beginning to sweat a little and fidget quite a bit.

"Alright, just for a few minutes, but he has to stay outside," he said, pointing to Ash. "And I'll be watching you. No funny business."

"Whatever you say," Misty winked, then made a kissing motion at him as she and Nurse Joy made their way down the corridor towards the back rooms of the Pokémon Centre.

She stayed behind Nurse Joy, walking slowly and sexily, squeaking her pants as much as possible, making sure the grunt was getting an eyeful. Ash growled under his breath, glaring at the guard as he watched Misty walk away.

"I think I'm gonna have to have me some of that," the grunt said to another grunt nearby. "I love a goth girl, just look at that sweet, sweet ass."

"Get them on the security monitor," the other said. "I wanna see this."

"Sick bastards," Ash muttered.

"Hey, don't be jealous, loser," the first one sneered as he brought up the security feed.

"Yeah, look at you," the second one laughed. "You try and fit in with her crowd, thinking you're gonna get some, right? Travel around with her, do all the nice things."

"Then she walks right in here and goes after a real man, right in front of you. How do you like that, kid?"

Ash was fuming, but he knew he had to maintain his cover. The real Ash would have put their heads through the wall by now, but that would give Misty away. He had to stay quiet. Even Pikachu was being better behaved than he was right now, so he took a deep breath and tried his best to relax.

"Whatever," he said, walking off to sit down on one of the sofas in the waiting area.

The two grunts sniggered at him, then returned their eyes to the security monitors. Misty and Nurse Joy went into one of the spare operating rooms, and Ash could hear their voices through the feed.

"_There's cameras all over this place, and microphones," _Nurse Joy told her.

"_Is there any way to turn them off? They don't need to see this."_

"_The mics are easy, they break all the time so I know how to do that, but the cameras can't be switched off from here."_

"_Okay, I guess they can watch then."_

The grunts started getting more rambunctious and male then, even as Joy disabled the microphone on the camera they didn't seem to mind. Ash grumbled to himself as he heard them discussing what they thought the two women would do in the room on their own, and wished he could let Pikachu out of his backpack to shock them unconscious, but he maintained his cool for the moment, waiting for some sort of signal from Misty.

* * *

Misty waited until Joy had disabled the mic, then sat her down on an operating table.

"They can still see us, so we have to make this look good," she said to her.

"What did you have in mind?" Joy asked, clearly a little nervous.

"Just relax," Misty smiled.

She hopped up on the table next to her, then swung a leg over her, straddling her. She gently cupped Joy's face and kissed her softly on the lips, letting her blue-streaked black hair fall around their faces.

"Oh my…" Joy whispered.

"I'm sorry about this," Misty apologised, "but those two goons are watching and we have to give them something to see, so they don't come in here straight away."

"I understand…" Joy answered nervously, lowering her resistance.

Misty wrapped her gloved arms around the Nurse's neck and kissed her again.

"Put your hands on my ass," she instructed.

"Like this?"

Joy gently placed her hands on Misty's butt, but Misty shook her head.

"Like _this_," she said, grabbing her hands and roughly gripping her butt with them before wrapping her arms around Joy's neck again.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

"I think you're probably one of the good guys, because you seem…friendly…"

"Look in my eyes," she whispered. "Don't you recognise me?"

She looked carefully into Misty's big, turquoise eyes, and after a few seconds her own eyes lit up.

"Misty! I thought it was you! Oh I'm so glad to see you, we really need your help right now. I saw you on TV, winning that tournament, but then you disappeared! We all feared the worst, and then the Rockets –"

"Shh…" Misty whispered, putting a finger to Joy's lips. "Calm down. Keep playing along, we can't risk them figuring out who I am. If_ anyone_ finds out, Ash and I are screwed. You're the only one I can trust, okay?"

Joy nodded, then moved her hands around, squeezing Misty's butt and stroking her thighs, gently caressing her. Misty kissed her roughly as Joy wrapped her arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Am I doing okay?" Joy asked a little nervously. "I'm sorry, I've never done this with a girl before."

"You're doing fine," Misty encouraged her. "Just keep going, give those assholes something to watch. Now tell me, what's happening at the gym? Are my sisters okay?"

"They're fine, as far as I can tell," Joy told her. "The Rockets sent their Pokémon to me a couple of days ago, and the way they were talking, they seemed to think they put up a bit of a fight. I think they might do something awful to them, they seem the type, but I don't think they plan on killing them."

"It's what I thought," Misty grumbled. "They plan on pretending to save them so they can look good when they take over."

"Who?" Joy asked, kissing her ear.

"…the Elite Four," Misty told her, shuddering inadvertently as Joy started doing too good of a job at making their act look convincing. "They're behind all of this. Rocket United, Jessie, everything. They plan on using the Rockets as enforcers when they take over. They'll pretend to save the world from them, save the gym leaders, then use the Rockets to keep everyone in line."

"So you're here to save your sisters?" Joy asked, grabbing Misty by the hair and pulling her in, forcing her tongue into her mouth.

"Wow, you're really getting into this, huh," Misty giggled.

"I'm sorry, is it too much? I've barely seen anyone but Rocket United people for a long time," she answered. "I've watched this town fall into hopeless despair, and I couldn't do anything about it. I _know_ you _can_, though, and if this helps you, then I'll make it look great. That, and I've sort of always wanted to try this with a girl. My turn now."

Without warning, she grabbed Misty by the waist and almost threw her onto the operating table, with a strength Misty had no idea she possessed. She straddled her and brushed her hair away from her face, then leant down and kissed her again. Joy hugged Misty's face into her cleavage and held it there, playfully smothering her.

"Listen carefully," Joy told her. "If you want to save your sisters, you'll need to break into the gym. That won't be easy. There are two guards, both with very strong Pokémon out the front at all times. They have a pair of Machamps with them. There's also four guards patrolling the inside at all times, and one guarding your sisters. There's also an administrator there, controlling the whole thing. Everyone takes orders from her, and she's by far the toughest of the lot. They seem to be using the gym as a factory, pumping out horribly strong water Pokémon, probably to make some sort of army. They have a machine inside, they brought it with them when they invaded."

Misty was about to pass out from lack of oxygen when Joy remembered that she'd been smothering her while she explained everything.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Misty. I guess I got a little carried away."

"It's…okay…" she said breathlessly, her face bright red. "You're…a lot stronger…than you look…you know."

"They'll still be watching, right? We better keep putting on the show," Joy said as she kissed Misty again, but Misty grabbed her face and held it away.

"Let me…catch my breath first…" she panted, laughing at Joy's enthusiasm. "How did you…find all that out?"

"I replaced one of their Pokémon," she smiled. "A young man volunteered his Machamp, and we told it to act like one of the Shadow Pokémon, then get injured so it could come back and report what it'd found."

"That's very clever," Misty said with raised eyebrows. "I'm impressed."

She started to get up, so Nurse Joy jumped off the table and fixed her dress. Misty waved a finger at the camera, as if playfully telling them off for watching.

"Thanks for everything, Nurse Joy. I really should get going now. We have a lot to do."

"I understand," she smiled back. "I hope you find your sisters, and don't forget about us."

"I'll do what I can, but no promises, okay? It's just me and Ash. We can't take down the whole town…yet."

As Misty turned to leave the room, Joy stopped her.

"I almost forgot," she said. "There was a young woman here the other day. She was lovely, she reminded me of your friend Erika from Celadon. I saw her sneak into the gym yesterday, but I never saw her come out again. I hope she's okay, but I fear the worst. Those thugs will do terrible things to her. You'll try and save her, won't you?"

Misty smiled reassuringly. "I promise."

"By the way…" Joy added, looking a little sheepish. "When we became friends, I never thought we'd end up doing…that…someday."

Misty laughed. "Sorry, it was a spur of the moment plan."

"I actually really enjoyed it," Joy replied with a wink. "I never knew there was that side of me."

"I think when all this is over, you need to go find a nice girl," Misty laughed.

She opened the door and walked out, with Nurse Joy in tow, and both women were immediately set upon by the two Rocket grunts.

"We were watching your little playtime in there, and we got to thinking," the first grunt said as he grabbed Misty by the throat.

The second grunt grabbed Nurse Joy by the shoulders and roughly slammed her into the opposite wall.

"Thinking on your own? I hope it didn't hurt too much," Misty spat.

"We work here every day, making sure the local punks don't get any big ideas. We keep the people in line, and we don't complain. But we don't exactly get enough recognition for what we do, either."

"It's not easy, watching nursey and her stupid Chansey all day long, all while keeping an eye on all the trainers. We don't get nothin' for it."

"So we figure, this time we're gettin' a little somethin'."

They each opened an operating room, the first grunt shoving Misty back into the room she just came out of, the second dragging Joy into a room across the hall. Misty fell backwards, barely managing to brace her head. The grunt grabbed her by the throat again and squeezed. Misty choked and spluttered, grabbing at his wrist, but he was strong. He picked her up off the ground by her throat and slammed her onto the operating table, stepping between her legs. Misty cried out in pain as all the air left her lungs, and tears streamed down her face.

The grunt started undoing his belt as he kept crushing her neck, and Misty's eyes widened in horror.

"Just stay calm, relax, and nobody gets hurt," the grunt warned her.

Suddenly the door burst open and Ash rushed in.

"Misty!" he yelled desperately.

"_Joy!_" she wheezed. "_Help Joy!_"

Ash nodded and quickly rushed back out of the operating room. The guard had become distracted by Ash's intervention, so Misty slapped his hand away, then drew her legs into her chest and kicked the grunt as hard as she could, sending him stumbling backwards into the wall next to the door. He knocked over a defibrillator, grunting in annoyance as he got back to his feet, then angrily stomped back over to Misty.

She kicked at him again, but the grunt grabbed her foot and pulled, launching her off the table and into the wall. She cried out in pain as she bounced off the wall and onto the hard ground. The grunt knelt down between her legs and shoved her shoulders as she tried to get up.

"I'm gonna get what I want," he shouted angrily at her as he tried to undo her tight pants.

"_No!_" Misty squealed desperately, grabbing at his hands.

The grunt slapped her hard in the face, then tried again to undo her pants. Misty flung her legs out wide, then grabbed the back of the grunt's head and pulled him in close before slamming her thighs shut against his neck. The grunt cried out in pain and surprise, and Misty cursed herself for not thinking of it sooner.

She crossed her ankles and squeezed tightly, her shiny pants squeaking noisily with each movement. The grunt's eyes just about popped out of his head as his face instantly became dark red with the pressure. His hands reached up and grabbed at her thighs, trying to pry them apart, but Misty knew he had no chance.

"You just sealed your fate, princess," the grunt muttered as best as he could through forcibly clenched teeth.

"Shut up," Misty snapped. "I'll squeeze your fucking head off."

He tried to stand up to dislodge her, but Misty's grip was too tight and she wasn't going to let go. He succeeded in getting to his knees before toppling over onto his side.

"Misty?" Ash blurted as he stood in the doorway, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Is Joy okay?" she asked.

"I'm right here! I'm fine!" Joy replied from behind him.

"You better let me go," the grunt seethed. "I swear I'll kill you when I get out."

"Do you want some help?" Ash asked, unsure of what to do.

"No, no, I'm fine," she insisted. "This creep just tried to rape me, so I'm teaching him a lesson about being nice to girls."

"You're gonna pay for –" the grunt started to say, but was silenced, his voice replaced by squeaking from Misty's shiny pants as she clenched up.

She looked into his eyes as his expression changed from surprise to panic to completely limp all in the space of a few seconds. He was totally out cold, but Misty kept squeezing him as tightly as she could, as if she didn't care.

"Joy, have you got anything to tie him up with?" she asked. "As soon as I let go, you've only got a few seconds before he wakes up again."

"I've got something even better than that," she answered, producing a syringe.

She easily found a vein and injected the entire syringe-full into the grunt.

"You can let go of him now," Joy said to her. "I just pumped enough general anaesthetic into him to put a Gyarados to sleep."

She completely ignored Joy and kept squeezing him, her face fierce from the effort. The grunt's face was dark purple and becoming increasingly puffy, but she didn't care.

"Misty!" Ash yelled, and Misty finally looked up at him.

"Fine," she muttered. "But he deserves to die."

She unwrapped herself, causing a sucking noise as the grunt's neck peeled away from her pants. She stood up and rubbed her back where she'd been thrown into the wall.

"He didn't ruin my outfit, did he?" she asked Ash. "I really like it, I'll be pissed off if it's torn."

He looked her over, shaking his head. "It's all good. Misty?"

"Yeah?" she replied, checking herself for injuries.

"Did you really just knock that guy out with your legs?"

"Mmm-hmm. So next time you're being a pain in the ass, just remember I can turn you into a narcoleptic any time I want."

Ash started blushing heavily as he looked at her legs, but he was careful not to say anything more.

"So what do I do now?" Joy asked as they left the room. "Someone will come looking for those two."

"We have a team of Pidgeot on standby," Ash told her. "They can take you back to Professor Oak's place in Pallet Town. It's safe there."

"Gather up as many people as you can from the waiting room, it's not safe for them here," Misty added. "We can take them all."

Nurse Joy nodded, then quickly ran up the corridor to do as she was told. Misty tapped her earpiece.

"HQ, come in," she said, then waited for a response.

"_Misty, it's Ritchie, good to hear your voice,"_

"Ritchie! It's good to hear from you too," she said with a smile, perking up as soon as she heard her old friend's voice. "I'm glad you made it to Professor Oak's place. We've got people we need picked up. About a dozen. Can you send some Pidgeots?"

"_You got it," _he replied. _"They're on their way. Are you at the Pokémon Centre?"_

"Yes, send them out back. It'll be a quick pickup, they need to be in and out in seconds, okay?"

"_No problem, Misty. Any word on the spy and the gym leaders?"_

"We're going to get them now. Nurse Joy says they're being held in the gym, and they have some sort of machine there. We think they're producing water-type Shadow Pokémon there, and building up some sort of army."

"_That's just like what Brock and Gary both said too. You need to get your sisters and the spy quickly and head to Saffron. That's where we'll find out what's really going on. It's all about Silph Co."_

"Okay, understood," she said. "Heading to Cerulean Gym now."

"_Oh and Misty? Stay safe. There are tons of strong Pokémon in those gyms, and they're controlled by Rocket United's best men. Don't do anything too risky, just get in, save who you can, and get out."_

Misty switched off her earpiece, then grabbed Ash and Nurse Joy.

"Take everyone and wait for them out back," she told her. "The Pidgeots will be here shortly to take you to Pallet Town."

"Thankyou, Misty," Joy said gratefully. "Be careful, okay?"

"We'll see each other soon," she said, then briskly walked out the back exit to the Pokémon Centre with Ash closely in tow.

* * *

Ash let Pikachu out of his backpack, taking his Pokéball belt out as well and putting it on. Pikachu was relieved to get some fresh air, but his relief was short-lived when he saw how quiet and miserable Cerulean City had become. He talked briefly with Misty's Raichu as Misty put her own Pokéball belt on. Ash couldn't understand all of it, but he gathered enough to know that Raichu was asking Pikachu if he'd done stuff like this before.

"Remember," she told Ash, "we have to stay hidden as much as possible. We can't have anyone reporting us. It'll make everyone's job harder if someone reports us before we finish."

"Won't they find out eventually when their hostages are gone?"

"Yes, but it'll take them more time this way."

"Why can't we just go in there and blast the place?" Ash asked. "I could have Charizard burn the whole place down."

Misty rolled her eyes. "This is a _water_ gym, Ash. Plus, if we burn the place down, how will we save my sisters and Erika's spy?"

"Okay fine, we'll do it your way then," Ash grumbled.

"Just go in and head left," she ordered. "Have Pikachu zap all the guards you see, _quietly_, then go find the administrator and take her down."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find my sisters, then I'm gonna destroy that machine."

Ash boosted Misty up towards a window that she knew would be unlocked. On the other side was a store room where they kept pool cleaning equipment. She climbed in, then Ash passed Pikachu and Raichu through, then jumped up himself. Misty caught his arm and helped him through, then quietly opened the door just a crack. She heard someone coming, and hatched a plan.

"Pretend you're one of them, get him to help you out with something."

"What?!"

"Just _do_ it, Ash!"

"Fine," he said, shaking his head. "But this is stupid."

He opened the door and cleared his throat, waiting for the guard to come closer.

"Hey man, can you help me out with this thing? Boss wants it for something, but it's fucken' heavy," he said with his best Rocket grunt impersonation.

Misty crossed her fingers, hiding just inside the door, and waited for the guard to reply.

"Aren't you supposed to be patrolling the _west_ corridor?"

Ash's eyes widened as he realised he wasn't prepared for that response. He stared at Misty, but Misty glared right back at him and bared her teeth.

"Um, yeah, but the boss said to grab this huge thing and bring it to her. Just help me out here, huh?"

"Fine, but you owe me, man," the guard said as he entered the room.

He saw Ash immediately and was about to yell out before Misty grabbed him around the neck, knocking him out in a choke hold. Ash grabbed some cable ties from his backpack that Nurse Joy had given them, quickly going to work binding his wrists and ankles as Misty took his Pokéballs and placed them out of reach on a top shelf.

"Where'd you learn to do that?" Ash asked. "That was awesome!"

"CJ taught me," she grinned. "You put your arm around their neck like this," she explained, demonstrating on Ash, "then put your hand in your other elbow like this, and kinda push their head with your other hand and squeeze."

"I'm gonna try it on the next guy," Ash said excitedly.

"We're not here to have fun, Ash," Misty scowled. "Besides, Joy said there'd be four guards inside, and there's four corridors. There won't be another one coming this way. Just hurry up and find that administrator. And please, just get Pikachu to zap them, okay? Do it quickly."

They exited the room, Ash going left and Misty going right, following the corridors that led around the battle arena. Misty's heavy boots clopped noisily on the floor, so she decided to walk at roughly the same pace as the guards were, so they'd just think it was another one of them. She cursed as her tight, shiny pants squeaked with each step, and wondered how long it would be before she was caught. She hid at the edge of the corridor, waiting for the next guard to approach.

_I love this outfit, but there really is a time and a place for it…_

"Hey what's going on around here – whoa…"

Another guard had obviously heard her and rounded the corner to see what the noise was, but stopped dead in his tracks as he looked Misty up and down. She decided to use her noisy new outfit to her benefit this time, so she crossed her legs, letting her shiny pants squeak noisily. The guard lost his mind.

"See anything you like?" she said softly, straightening her legs so the pants would squeak a little more.

"You – you shouldn't be in here," he gulped.

Raichu came running up behind her then, yelling and sparking her cheeks, and gave the whole thing away.

"Dammit, Raichu…" she muttered.

"Hey! You're –"

He was interrupted by a swift knee to the groin and doubled over. Misty sprung into action, wrapping her arms around his neck in another choke hold. Her shiny elbow gloves squeaked as she tightened up, and in seconds he was out too. She quickly cable tied his hands and feet, then dragged him into the storage room with the other guard. She heard a loud zap coming from the opposite side of the gym, so she hurried off to find the last guard.

"Come on, Raichu, hurry!"

She ran off down the corridor, her heavy boots clopping loudly as she squeaked her way around the rear corridor, past the door that led to the living area, and into the western corridor. The guard had heard the electric attack and was about to report it when Raichu spotted him and Thundershocked him unconscious. With a huge sigh of relief, she tapped her earpiece.

"Ash, you're clear. Go get the administrator."

"_Just leave it to me. Go find that machine."_

She checked the recovery pool, where she and her sisters kept the Pokémon who weren't currently battling, but it was filled with very nasty looking water Pokémon who didn't want to be friendly, and guarded by several enormous Machamp. She quickly shut the door before any of them saw her and ran back to the living area. There was nothing there though, and it looked rather untouched, which she thought was strange. She resisted the urge to find some of her belongings and raced off to the only room she hadn't checked yet: the battle arena.

She pushed the double doors open and rushed inside, and found the machine against the western wall, as well as Ash's Bulbasaur whipping the hell out of an enraged Dewgong. It didn't seem to be working, and the Dewgong seemed to be getting angrier and angrier.

"Dewgong! Ice Beam!"

The command came from a tall, statuesque brunette who wore the world's smallest Rocket United uniform. She stood on the western side of the pool on the gym leader's platform, and spotted Misty as soon as she arrived.

The Dewgong's Ice Beam shot out quickly and struck Bulbasaur right in the forehead, knocking him backwards several feet, but not taking him out. Bulbasaur looked mad.

"Well, that's one hell of a Bulbasaur you've got there," the brunette said. "I'd kinda like to take it for myself."

"_Bulbaaaa!_"

"What did he say?" the brunette asked, looking a little smug.

"He said 'come and get me'," Ash told her angrily. "Let's see what else you've got."

"Okay then," she said, and released a Tentacruel. "Are you just gonna stand there, sexy?" she asked Misty arrogantly. "Or are you gonna join in?"

"If you insist," Misty grinned. "But we're _not_ here to play by the rules. Raichu, Pikachu! Thunderbolt!"

Raichu leapt out from behind her about four feet in the air, timing a powerful Thunderbolt attack with perfect synchronicity with Ash's Pikachu, and lit up the entire pool. Jolts of electricity shot through the pool for several seconds afterwards as the Dewgong and Tentacruel floated to the surface, spasming like they were having a fit.

"That's not gone well," the brunette said, totally stunned. "Why didn't you do that from the start, kid?"

"Because I was _trying_ to make this _interesting_," Ash yelled. "Bulbasaur could have handled it, Mist. What are you _doing?_"

"What are _you_ doing, you little clown!" she yelled back. "This isn't a gym battle, this is war!"

"If you two are done having your little lover's tiff, I've really got to be going," the brunette said dismissively as she stepped backwards towards a lift hatch that Misty knew was used to access the pool heaters underneath the building.

"Oh no you don't," Ash sneered. "Bulbasaur! Grab her!"

Bulbasaur's vines shot out and wrapped around the administrator, then tightened. Her eyes bulged out of her head as Bulbasaur lifted her up and brought her towards him.

"I can't breathe! Kid! Pleeeeease!"

"Tell me where the gym leaders are, _and_ the spy, and maybe we'll let you take another breath," Misty spat as she made her way around the pool.

"Sure, I'll just tell you," the administrator grinned. "You think you're scary? You should meet my bosses."

"We've _met_ them," Misty told her.

"You wanna live? Tell us where they are, administrator!" Ash growled.

"Ash!" Misty scolded.

The administrator laughed as best as she could. Bulbasaur's vines tightened, and she cried out in pain.

"Are you sure there's no other way to settle this?" she asked Ash. "You're a young man, I'm a young woman…I've got a lot more experience than you do, though…what do you say? She can even join in, if she wants to."

He gestured to Bulbasaur, who lowered the administrator to the ground and loosened his vines. She breathed deeply, then stepped over to Ash and brushed his face with her hands, then ran them down his chest slowly.

"You're totally cute, kid," she said softly. "A woman like me could do some pretty crazy things to you."

"Let me tie you up, and we can do whatever you want," he told her, a smile creeping onto the edges of his mouth.

Misty stood there dumbstruck.

_What is he DOING?_

"If that's what turns you on, kid," the administrator told him, then turned around, placing her hands behind her back in such a way that Ash would have to touch her butt.

Ash tied her hands with some cable ties, then turned her around and tapped his earpiece.

"Hey Ritchie, we've got the administrator, and the machine's about to be destroyed. No sign of the hostages yet but there's only one place we haven't looked."

"Hey, I thought you liked me!" the administrator yelled in protest. "You can't take me in! We _run_ this town! There's nowhere you can keep me that I won't escape from!"

Ash grinned at Misty, who was still dumbfounded. When the administrator's attempts to woo Ash failed, she turned her attention to Misty.

"What about you, sexy?" she asked, trying to regain her composure. "You look like you're a little smarter than this little twerp. You're running this show, aren't you? Not him. So maybe there's something I can do for you instead? Since this kid is clearly gay."

Misty raised an eyebrow. She couldn't believe how desperate this woman was.

"Yeah, I can tell you like a good time," she continued. "Look at that gorgeous outfit you're wearing. The shine really highlights those sexy curves of yours."

Misty folded her arms across her chest and popped a hip.

"Just tell us where you're keeping the hostages," Misty said flatly. "We might be young, but we're not stupid."

The administrator's expression turned to rage as she finally realised her efforts were in vain.

"Fine! Ya little slut! They're in the back, in the old gym leader's room. But you better be taking me with you when you leave, I'm not gonna let them kill me!"

Misty grinned and stepped over to her, then stroked her face with her gloved hands.

"I thought you liked me?" she teased, making the administrator even angrier.

"Did you get all that, Ritchie?" Ash asked.

"_Yeah I got it, Pidgeots are on their way now. Out back?"_

"Yeah, out back. We haven't secured the front of the gym."

"_You got it, man. By the way, you may have to find a place to lay low for a while. The Pidgeots I'm sending are the only other ones we have."_

"That's okay, Charizard can fly us to Saffron."

"_Okay, HQ out."_

"I've got this," Misty told him. "Watch her, and destroy that machine."

* * *

As she walked through the living area at the rear of the gym, she started to get homesick. The gym had really started to be a comforting place to be, after all the years of broken childhood she'd experienced there. Having to look after the gym and run it as leader for so long had become a steady aspect of her life, and there was nothing steady about what had happened recently. Then she remembered how thrilling it felt to go on another adventure when she, Gary, James and Meowth flew to Indigo Plateau. Sure, it was draining, mentally and physically, but the excitement and the stakes of it all made her feel very alive.

She shook off her wistfulness and made her way to her old room, and immediately heard footsteps coming from the other side of the door. She cleared her throat and did her best impersonation of the administrator.

"Hey, I need you out here for a sec," she said.

"One moment," came the guard's voice. A female guard.

The door opened, and Misty was kicked hard in the belly. She doubled over and fell to her knees as the female Rocket grunt rushed around behind her and put her in a choke hold. Misty's eyes bulged as the pressure became too much, and started reaching for her Pokéballs. She grabbed Raichu's ball, then remembered she was still downstairs with Ash.

"Uh-uh-uh," the guard said, letting a hand go to undo Misty's belt.

Misty wriggled free just as her Pokéball belt was slung across the room. The Rocket grunt was about Misty's age, had a very pretty face with gorgeous long brown hair, and was about the same size and build, but she could tell by the girl's stance that she knew how to fight. Misty had learnt a few things from CJ, but nothing that she thought would dramatically help her against someone that really knew what they were doing. She was also worn out and sore from her fight with the grunt at the Pokémon Centre earlier.

The girl wore a standard Rocket United uniform – a black pair of booty shorts and black, cleavage-bearing crop top with an 'R' on the front, all tiny, all super-tight.

"How did you get past all the guards?" she asked. "And the administrator? Where is she!"

"They all went down, mostly without even a fight," Misty sneered.

"Then you're all outta luck, girl," the guard grinned. "'Cause this bitch _can_ fight, and your Pokémon can't save you."

The guard rushed forwards, but stopped short. Misty instinctively put her arms up in defence of her face, and the girl grabbed them and flipped her over her head. She landed on her side, then rolled onto her back, reeling from the pain. She didn't have time to recover though, and immediately tried to get back up, but the girl was all over her. She wrapped her arms around Misty's neck in another choke hold while simultaneously wrapping her thighs around her waist. She tightened up both holds, and Misty knew she was in deep trouble.

Her eyes bulged again with the pressure as the girl's thin arms painfully cut deep into her neck. She grabbed at them, trying to wrench them away, but the girl was very good, the hold tight and secure, accurately pressing exactly where it was necessary to turn Misty's lights out. As she futilely but violently grasped and pulled at her arms, the girl tightened her legs around her waist, bending her ribs almost to the point of shattering them. Misty tried to cry out in pain but only succeeded in coughing and spluttering, which actually made the pain worse.

Tears streamed down her face as she panicked wildly, trying to elbow the girl, but quickly stopped when she squeezed even tighter. Her vision dimmed gradually until she couldn't see anything at all, and all she could comprehend with the limited oxygen her brain had left was the feeling of being completely and totally wrapped up in the girl's tight embrace.

_This is why I wanted to learn how to fight properly._

Her earlier injuries from the fight with the other Rocket grunt back at the Pokémon Centre didn't help either. She felt like her entire body was being crushed all at once, and there really wasn't any way she could fight it. The feeling of hopelessness became overwhelming, and the embarrassment she felt at losing so completely to a girl no bigger, stronger or tougher than herself made her feel bad for all the grown men she'd squeezed out cold herself.

"Shh…" the girl whispered gently to her, her soft lips lightly brushing Misty's ear. "I'm not even trying right now. I could squeeze so much tighter than this."

Misty's tears turned into a torrent as the embarrassment became total. She rested her hands on the girl's smooth, firm thighs and waited for the inevitable.

"Shh shh shh…that's right, don't struggle…if you struggle, I'll break all your ribs," the girl whispered gently, then very softly kissed her cheek to taunt her even more. "Just drift slowly off to sleep, cutie. Go to sleep…nighty night, babe."

The girl slowly and very gently licked Misty's ear as her arms tightened up some more. Misty cried and cried, unable to do anything else, and all she wanted to do was cry some more until it was all over.

Suddenly she was back at Oak's Ranch. It all made sense to her. She could see Ash and Gary having a Pokémon battle near the lab, and walked over to see who was winning. Someone tapped her on the shoulder, so she turned around and was forced into a deeply passionate kiss. She could tell it was a girl, her lips felt so soft and her tongue was gentle and smooth. It was an amazing kiss, and she never wanted it to end. After what felt like hours they finally pulled away, and Misty saw that it was Amber. She smiled warmly, and Amber giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Wow," she said. "I've never had a kiss like that before. That was amazing, Misty."

"Come here and I'll show you what I can _really_ do," she grinned, then grabbed Amber by the butt and pulled her in again.

Amber squealed in delight, and the two shared another amazing kiss, before Amber pulled away suddenly.

"I'm sorry, I really like you, Misty," she said. "I think I might even love you, but you have to go. Now. There's no time!"

Misty raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Just _go!_" she screamed. "Hurry! Before it's all _gone!_"

"Huh?" Misty asked, utterly bewildered.

"No, no, no, no, _NO!_" Amber screeched. "It's too _late! _It's right _behind_ you!"

Misty turned around to see an enormous black shadow enveloping her, devouring everything, turning it all into utter darkness.

She tried to lift up her head, but wasn't sure if it had worked. She couldn't see anything at all. Suddenly she could feel her body again, and it ached. She racked her brain, trying to think of why she was so sore, but came up with nothing. She started panicking as she realised she had no idea where she was or what she was just doing. She couldn't remember anything from the whole day. She started screaming in her mind, but panicked moans were the only noise she could manage to make. She tried to shake herself free and get up, but gravity felt so weird, and she couldn't figure it out.

The room started to light up again, and she began to make out shapes. She could see a roof, and a window, and a bookshelf. It looked a little like the sitting room outside her bedroom back at the gym.

_It IS the sitting room outside my bedroom at the gym! I remember!_

As her vision returned fully, so did her memory. She'd been in a fight with a Rocket United girl, and must have been squeezed out cold and had a dream.

_That whole sequence with kissing Amber at Oak's place…that must have been a dream. I was knocked out…by that Rocket girl! Oh man, she's probably about to kill me…I better move!_

She quickly rolled over, getting to her feet in a single motion. The girl she'd been fighting was lying on the ground, moaning softly to herself and spasming.

"_Rai_chu!"

She turned around and saw Raichu standing behind her, electricity sparking from her cheeks.

"Did you do that?"

"Chu!" Raichu announced proudly.

"Thanks, Raichu," Misty laughed with embarrassment. "I really thought I was going to die this time. You saved my life."

"Hey Misty, is that you?" said a voice coming from her room. She recognised it as her sister Violet's voice.

She used some cable ties to secure the girl's wrists and ankles, then turned back to Raichu.

"If she moves, hit her with a Thundershock," Misty instructed. "Actually, even if she just looks at you funny."

She looked back at the girl, who was starting to stir awake. She rolled over with a lot of effort, and looked up at Misty. She looked very nervous. A lot more nervous, and a lot less resigned than Misty expected her to look.

"Something's up, isn't it?" Misty said to her.

The girl grimaced.

"I just want you to know that I was acting under orders from the administrator. I didn't _want_ to do any of the things she made me do, but I _had_ to. She would have killed me. I promise…please don't get too mad. I-I'm really not a bad person, I'm not a bad person at all, I just…I was scared, and I thought–"

"Shut up," Misty said coldly.

She left the girl with Raichu, went into her old room, and saw her three sisters and a girl who was clearly Erika's spy. She was dressed in all black tights, and sported some nasty bruises. She turned to her sisters, who were also covered in bruises, and looked very weak.

"Oh no…Lily, Violet…what has she done to you?"

"Don't feel too bad, sis," Daisy said in her valley girl accent, "we're a lot better than Rose is."

"Is that Erika's spy?" Misty asked, caressing the girl's face and checking her bruises.

The girl was so badly beaten she could barely open her eyes.

"Doesn't Misty have red hair?" she asked.

Misty smiled warmly, and started to cry again.

"I had to dye it so no one would recognise me," she explained. "You're gonna be fine now, Rose. We'll get you out of here, and you'll be back on your feet in no time."

"Misty, what are you wearing?" Violet asked.

"Oh, it's a disguise," Misty said as she untied Rose.

"I was just getting used to your little booty shorts. I actually just got some, just like yours, they're totally cute," Lily said.

"How are you guys concerned about fashion right now?" Misty half-yelled.

"You look like you're going to a rave or something, with those blue streaks in your hair and that – what is that anyway? Is that like, vinyl?" Daisy asked.

"No way, it's PVC," Violet answered.

"Duh, Violet, vinyl _is _PVC."

"Maybe it's leather."

"It's totally vinyl," Lily explained. "See? When she moves it makes those awesome squeaky noises!"

"Well you might not like it, Daise, but I think she looks hot," Violet added. "I totally want that outfit."

"I want her hair too," Lily squealed. "Look how _cute_ it is!"

"Yeah, little sis," Violet nodded. "I don't always agree with your fashion choices, but that tight, shiny outift…it's hot and I _want_ it."

"Hey, I never said she doesn't look hot," Daisy defended, "I just said she looks like she's going to a rave."

"Guys would totally melt if they saw me in that," Lily swooned. "Tell me guys go crazy when they see you!"

Misty rolled her eyes as she untied her three sisters, wondering how they could be so normal, even after being held captive and taking a beating.

She turned her attention to Rose again, then squealed as she felt hands touching and grabbing her all over.

"Oh my _god_, it feels amazing!" Lily cried. "Touch her butt, right here."

"No! Stop touching my butt!" Misty yelled. "Hey! And no touching the boobs either!"

_I love this outfit, but I'm changing back into my shorts first chance I get. This is too much!_

"Relax, Misty," Violet smiled. "We're your sisters, it's okay. We just wanna check you out a bit so we can decide whether to get our own outfits like that."

"Yeah, we'd totally break hearts if all four of us went out looking like that," Lily agreed. "I totally think we should. Misty never goes out with us, and now that she's eighteen, she totally can!"

Misty shook her head and started laughing. Despite how inappropriate they were being under the circumstances, it still made her incredibly happy to know they were all okay.

_I guess I shouldn't have expected any less from my silly sisters._

"It's okay, Mist, we're just trying to take our minds off the fact that we had like, _no_ food or anything for like, days."

"And that bitchy girl kept like, hitting us," Violet frowned. "We were like, 'you think we're gonna tell you where our little baby sister is? Like, I totally doubt it, even if we _knew_ where she was'."

Misty's eyes welled up again as she realised what had happened.

_They took a beating to protect me from Rocket United._

"That's right, little sis, we didn't tell her anything," Daisy smiled warmly as she hugged Misty. "And now, she's totally gonna get her ass kicked! Right Misty?"

"Right," Misty frowned, then walked back out of the room. "Raichu, forget the Thundershock. I want you to use Thunder on her."

"Oh not again…" the girl grimaced.

Raichu did as she was told, and eagerly blasted the girl, launching her into the opposite wall. She bounced off the wall and landed in the middle of the room, knocked out cold again.

"We should like, carry Rose outside," Lily told her. "She copped the worst of it."

Misty gently lifted the battered Celadon spy with the help of her sisters, and the five girls made their way back out to where Ash was waiting with the administrator. She heard a yelp from behind her as they walked past the girl, so she stopped.

"What was that?"

"I just tripped over this face, it was just lying there on the ground and I totally didn't see it!" Violet laughed.

"Bullshit, you dumb bitch! You kicked me!" the girl shouted angrily. "Ow!"

"I totally just tripped over the _same face!_" Daisy giggled.

Even Rose laughed a little as they carried her towards the battle arena. As they entered through the double doors at the rear on the northern side, Ash came running up to them.

"Hey Ash, you're in disguise too, right?" Lily asked. "I dig those skinny jeans on you, you look a lot hotter like that than in your normal clothes."

"He has awesome hair too," Violet agreed. "Totally keep dressing like that."

Ash blushed heavily, and was too nervous to say anything back. Misty giggled at him as he offered to carry Rose himself.

"So like, what happens now?" Lily asked. "We can't stay here, it's too dangerous."

"We've got Pidgeots organised to fly you all back to Pallet Town," Misty explained. "Professor Oak's ranch is safe, he can look after you all."

"Pidgeot ride sounds awesome," Daisy exclaimed. "And I'm totally dying to meet Professor Oak. I've got so many questions about water Pokémon I wanna ask him."

"Speaking of Pokémon, where is everyone? I thought they'd all be so happy to see me, I was looking forward to seeing them again. But I haven't even seen one of them yet. Where are they all?" Misty asked.

Daisy, Violet and Lily all looked down at their feet sadly and started to cry. Misty's heart sank, and she fell to her knees. She lost her composure completely and started bawling.

"Tell me those monsters in the recovery pool aren't them. Please tell me that isn't them!"

"I'm so sorry, Misty," Violet said softly as she knelt down next to her and held her. "We tried to stop them, we did everything we could. They hurt all our cute little friends, then they hurt us too."

"We could hear them screaming," Daisy sobbed. "That _machine_," she yelled, pointing angrily at the twisted mass of melted metal that used to be the Shadow Pokémon machine. "_She _did it! She turned them all into monsters!"

Daisy glared at the administrator, who just grinned back at her.

"If I wasn't so nice, I'd _so_ push you into that pool, with your hands still tied. You're _evil_."

The administrator started laughing at her. Misty walked right up to the administrator, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"What're _you _gonna do, ya little skank?" the administrator sniggered.

Misty half-turned, then hit her right in the jaw with a brutal right hook that sent the administrator sailing. Her three sisters cheered wildly as she struggled to get back to her feet. Misty stepped over to her and grabbed her by the throat.

"When you see your bosses, I want you to tell them something before they kill you," she spat. "You tell them Misty Waterflower is coming for them. _Tell them_ that I will make them _suffer_ for what they've done."

As the tears flowed freely, she spat in the administrator's face, then dropped her back on the ground and walked out towards the front doors. She tapped her earpiece.

"Ritchie, change of plans," she said. "The Pidgeot can land out front. No more games."

_"What about the Machamp and the Rockets guarding the front door? I can see them on the security feed from across the street."_

"Don't blink. In ten seconds they won't be there anymore," she said flatly, wiping her eyes. "Ash, let my sisters take Rose. We're gonna hurt some guards."

"_Now_ you're talking," Ash grinned. "Come on Pikachu and Raichu. Let's make them _pay_."


	3. Saffron Invasion

The Pidgeots approached Oak's property from the south to avoid detection by Rocket United. They swooped in low as they landed near the lab and were greeted by CJ and Professor Oak himself. Nurse Joy dismounted the Pidgeot and helped the Pokémon trainers from the Pokémon Centre out as CJ approached her with Professor Oak in tow.

"Have you heard from Misty and Ash?" she asked immediately.

"We have," CJ answered. "You're the Joy from West Cerulean then?"

"I am," she answered, all business. "Did they make it out of the gym alright? That place is a monstrosity."

"They're fine, Nurse Joy," Oak assured her. "Ash is a very, very capable trainer, and Misty is totally fearless. We heard from them about an hour after you left Cerulean City."

"They infiltrated the gym and rescued Erika's spy Rose, as well as her three sisters. They need medical attention, but they're alright, and on their way here now," CJ added.

Joy let out a tremendous sigh of relief. "That's such good news. I was so worried when Misty said she was going in there."

"Don't worry about Misty," Oak smiled. "She's a gym leader, after all. She'll be fine. Besides, Ash is with her."

"It's not her capabilities as a trainer I'm concerned about," Joy shook her head. "The Pokémon those thugs are turning into Shadow Pokémon…they're all the ones Misty and her sisters rescued and raised. Most weren't even used for battling, they were just the Waterflower girls' friends. They're very close. When she sees them, she's going to become extremely emotional, and I'm worried she'll do something rash and get herself hurt, or worse."

"She did seem quite emotional when she last reported in," CJ admitted. "But her and Ash are on their way to Saffron City now."

"Saffron!?" Nurse Joy exclaimed. "No, she can't go to _Saffron_, it's far too dangerous!"

"Why? What's happened there?" Oak asked, his brow furrowed and expression very serious.

"Dozens of trainers have been killed by Shadow Pokémon in and around that city!" Joy explained, half-shouting. "The Rockets, they're brutal there. They attack anyone on sight if they're not in a uniform."

"That must mean they're protecting something," CJ deduced, turning to Oak.

"Indeed," Oak nodded in agreement. "It's imperative that they infiltrate the city and find out what's happening there as soon as possible."

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Joy yelled. "You're sending her to her death! Don't you care about her at all?"

"Calm down," Oak told her. "Misty and Ash are going to be fine. You're her friend, you know her as well as anyone. You should trust her. They're our best chance of finding out what the Elite Four are up to."

"At least send Sabrina in with her, or Erika. They live in neighbouring cities, they'll be able to help her –"

"Sabrina is with Misty's friend Amber, they just touched down in Fuchsia City. Erika is with my grandson in Vermillion City rescuing Lieutenant Surge and his men. They've got their own missions to complete," Oak explained.

Joy sighed and slumped to her knees. "I hope they'll be okay."

"I'm more worried about the rest of the world," Oak said with a frown. "Misty and Ash can take care of themselves, but Rocket United…they've gotten bold. The people of the world are in real trouble if Misty and Ash can't figure out what's going on in Saffron."

"And even then, we still have to figure out a plan to stop whatever they're doing, and _then_ we still have to take down the Elite Four," CJ added.

"If we fail, the world will enter a dark time such as we've never seen. Ruled by greed and oppression by untouchably powerful men and women," Oak finished. "Make no mistake, the Elite Four are to be feared, and their dark plans are already in action across the world. I only hope we aren't too late to stop them."

They were interrupted by Ritchie, who came running out of the lab.

"Professor, Officer Jenny…" he said breathlessly. "It's Erika and Gary. They've been captured."

"Captured?" Oak shouted in surprise. "What happened?"

"Vermillion City was a trap," he explained. "Lieutenant Surge is working for Rocket United. Gary turned on his earpiece when they entered the gym, we heard the whole thing."

"It's not just Erika and Gary," Vermillion Jenny said as she ran outside as well. "Brock, James and Meowth were captured in Veridian City."

"Oh dear…" Oak mumbled.

"But there isn't even a gym leader at Veridian at the moment. Who could be strong enough to overpower Brock and James?" CJ asked.

"We can't be sure," Vermillion Jenny answered, "but it sounded like Bruno himself was there."

"The whole thing was a trap," CJ realised. "They lured us in with the invasions of the gyms. They baited us into sending our teams out there, knowing we'd split them up. They even knew we'd send them to places they were connected with, like Erika going to Celadon first, and left their weaker troops there. They sacrificed those gyms and let us believe our plan was working…"

"You have to contact Misty and Ash!" Joy demanded. "Tell them to abandon their mission and come back here where it's safe!"

"We can't do that!" CJ snapped. "I don't like it any more than you do, but if we don't find out what's happening at Silph Co, we won't have a chance of stopping the Elite Four!"

"And what if Misty and Ash are captured too, huh?" Joy argued. "_Then_ what? There'll be no one left at all! We need to get them back here and come up with something new!"

"What about Sabrina and Amber?" CJ asked Vermillion Jenny and Ritchie. "Have they reported in yet?"

"Not since they arrived at Fuchsia City," Ritchie shook his head. "They should have reported in by now."

"Then you have to send Misty and Ash to Fuchsia to save them, then bring everyone back here. The plan is _over_, Officer Jenny. We need to send them in together or they might all _die!_"

"I'm afraid CJ is right, Nurse Joy," Oak said calmly but seriously. "It's extremely unlikely that anyone, even Janine, could capture Sabrina, and if we recall Misty and Ash now we may be sacrificing the others who've been captured. It's highly likely that they will be held somewhere in Saffron City."

"How can you be so sure?" Joy asked, becoming somewhat frantic.

"Saffron is the centre-most city in Kanto, and it's home to Silph Co," Oak explained. "The Elite Four will almost certainly have a strong guard stationed there to protect their assets. They won't sacrifice too many Rocket troops from other cities and towns to try and secure multiple places at once. They'd bring their hostages to Silph. Anything less than an overwhelming Rocket presence would be inadequate to hold trainers of Gary, Erika, James and Brock's calibre."

Joy sighed again and slumped a little further to the ground.

"I suppose that makes sense…" she admitted. "They need to know what they're walking into, though."

"Way ahead of you," Vermillion Jenny told them. "Misty and Ash just arrived in Saffron City a moment ago, while you were talking. They're aware of the situation now."

"Then all we can do is wait and hope," Oak said.

"Well, is there anything I can do? I feel so helpless here," Joy offered.

"Well, you brought a lot of trainers with you that have injured Pokémon," Oak reminded her. "I have the facilities here to help heal them, if you're willing."

Joy got to her feet and nodded an affirmative. "Hopefully it'll help me take my mind off of all this."

"You were foolish to come here," Janine berated Amber and Sabrina. "You fell right into our trap."

They were held in the Fuchsia Gym, bound by heavy chains around their wrists, ankles and necks, in a hidden room inaccessible to anyone but Janine and the other ninjas.

"I can't believe you sold out to the Rockets," Sabrina spat. "You make me sick. You were one of us, and you betrayed us, and all the people who once looked up to you. What are you going to tell them? The kids?"

"You can't guilt trip me, Sabrina," Janine laughed. "This world belongs to Rocket United and the Elite Four now. You don't have a chance. I'm picking the winning side, and I'll come out of this more prosperous than I ever was before."

"So it's about the money?" Amber snorted. "You would betray us to those freaks so you can get paid?"

"You're beneath my contempt, Amber Gibson," Janine said angrily, glaring at her. "You had a chance to be _great_, to be someone worthy. You chose to slum it with peasants like _her_," she pointed at Sabrina, "and _Misty_, and poor naïve little Erika."

"Those Rocket bastards raped and beat me!" Amber screamed, straining at her chains. "They _tortured_ me! How can you support them?!"

"If you're too weak to do something about it, then you _deserved _it," Janine scoffed. "It's hardly a problem for Rocket United if a pathetic, weak little girl leaves on her own. Good riddance."

"Just keep talking, bitch," Amber seethed. "When I get out of here, you're the first one I'm taking down."

"You can't escape," Janine laughed. "The only place you're going is the Silph Co building, in chains, with the rest of your ridiculous little band."

"Did you get all of that?" Amber asked.

"What?" Janine asked impatiently. "What are you talking about? Get all of _what?_"

"She wasn't talking to you," Sabrina grinned. "She was talking to HQ."

"She was _what?!_"

"We can go now, Sabrina," Amber said calmly, a cheeky grin on her face.

"About time," Sabrina grumbled.

One of Sabrina's Pokéballs activated on the other side of the room, releasing her Alakazam. Janine turned around in shock, just in time to see it using Psybeam on her. Her eyes widened in horror as she was launched across the room into the opposite wall, bouncing off and hitting the ground hard. She reeled from the pain, unable to get back up straight away. While all this was happening, Sabrina used her telekinetic powers to unlock their shackles, and the two girls got to their feet.

"Thanks for the information," Amber smirked. "Now it's _my _turn."

She grabbed her Pokéballs and released her Ninetales as Sabrina telekinetically threw Janine across the room again and chained her up.

"Burn this place to the ground," Amber ordered Ninetales.

Janine's eyes almost burst out of her head, and she started sweating and panicking.

"You can't leave me here, I'll die! I'm _defenceless!_" she screamed.

"A ninja is _never_ defenceless," Sabrina mocked. "You betrayed everything you ever stood for. You betrayed this town, you betrayed its people, you betrayed your friends, and you serve people that murder, rape and pillage. As far as I'm concerned, you deserve your fate. If you escape from here, you won't be the same. Goodbye, Janine."

"No, _WAIT!"_ Janine screeched, then whimpered as she desperately tried to unlock the shackles. "I don't wanna die! _Please!_"

Ninetales got to work setting the walls and the floor alight as the two girls left the gym. As they walked out the front, with Ninetales in tow, their Pidgeots swooped in to pick them up.

"HQ, are you there?" Amber asked.

"_Amber, we hear you," _Vermillion Jenny answered.

"What's going on? Have you heard from any of the others?"

"_Brock, James and Meowth were captured, so were Erika and Gary," _Jenny told them. _"Misty and Ash just arrived there not long ago. They're going straight to Silph Co."_

"Tell them to wait," Amber said. "We're going in with them. That place will be swarming with Rocket grunts."

"_Okay I'll relay that to them," _Jenny replied. _"It's good to hear you guys are safe. You had us worried for a moment there."_

"All part of the plan," Sabrina grinned. "Tell them we'll touch down in Saffron City within the hour, depending on how tired our Pidgeots are."

She saw a glint in the eyes of their Pidgeots, and Sabrina knew they would get them there as fast as possible.

"Definitely within the hour," she smiled. "Sabrina and Amber, out."

They mounted their Pidgeots, and held on tight as they quickly accelerated to supersonic speed. Both girls had a determined look about them, a resolve to do what they knew had to be done to save their friends, and also the world. But they also knew very well that this saga was only just beginning.

* * *

Sabrina immediately changed her clothes upon landing in Saffron City. She knew the city better than anyone and knew exactly where to land, and where she could change out of sight. She quickly found them an abandoned building and took off her backpack, pulling a new outfit out.

"Unzip me, would you?" she asked Amber.

"Can't you do that yourself?" Amber replied.

"Of course," she smirked. "But you want to do it."

Amber grumbled slightly as she remembered Sabrina's mind-reading ability, then slowly unzipped her dress. Her fingers gently grazed Sabrina's smooth skin as she worked the zipper, and she couldn't help feeling like she shouldn't be doing it.

"You and Misty aren't together," Sabrina reminded her. "And besides, I know you're enjoying it."

"Not as much as you are, clearly," Amber grinned.

"Yes, it's true. I'm getting a bit of a kick out of it."

"Why are you changing anyway?"

Sabrina laughed. "My parents used to dress me like this as a little girl. But it's not exactly my style anymore, wouldn't you agree?"

"You definitely don't seem like a sweet, summer dress type of girl, no," Amber agreed.

"And _you_ don't seem like a flowery blouse type of girl either. So help me with this, and I'll pick out something that's more 'you'," Sabrina said, holding up one of her eye-wateringly tight shiny catsuits.

"Shouldn't we be rushing off to help Ash and Misty?" Amber asked, feeling guilty that they were busy dressing each other when they should be helping their friends.

"I can't go into something this dangerous if I'm feeling uncomfortable," Sabrina explained. "Plus, a dress isn't exactly the most practical thing in the world."

Amber had to admit, she had a point. She'd had enough of looking like a tourist, at any rate. Sabrina shook the catsuit again to get her attention, and gave her a wink.

"Give me a hand with this," she grinned.

Amber chuckled, then helped Sabrina squeeze herself into the preposterously tight catsuit, accompanied by lots of squeaking noises and laughing. When they were done, Amber stood back and admired how incredibly sexy Sabrina looked. Sabrina strutted towards her, the catsuit squeaking noisily, making Amber gulp as she looked her up and down.

"Sit down," Sabrina said, pulling up a chair telekinetically and forcing Amber into it.

She squealed slightly in surprise as she felt the chair hit the back of her legs. She couldn't move at all, and started to panic a little.

"Sabrina, this isn't funny. What are you playing at?"

"You helped me change, so now I'll help you," she smiled.

Sabrina lifted Amber's arms and slipped off her blouse, all without even touching her. She took out one of Amber's tops that she'd packed without Amber knowing, which was a tight, stretchy metallic green short sleeved top with a deep plunging neckline. It slid on, and Sabrina let her arms down, then adjusted her boobs by hand.

"Is that strictly necessary?" Amber asked. "I could really have done that myself."

"I know," Sabrina giggled. "But this is more fun for me."

"Why'd you choose this top?"

Sabrina sat on her lap, still not letting Amber move on her own. She reached forward and wrapped her arms around Amber's head, gently hugging her face into her own boobs. Amber moaned slightly, clearly enjoying it..

"Because it makes you look sexier," Sabrina explained, giggling as Amber moaned a bit more. "It's not impractical, and any advantage is a good one. Plenty of Rocket United grunts will want to stare at your chest, and it'll leave them vulnerable. I've even been known to use them as weapons from time to time. A bit like this."

She hugged Amber's head a little tighter, her breasts completely engulfing her face. Amber's moans stopped as Sabrina smothered her, and after a few seconds she let her go, allowing Amber to move freely again as well.

"I see what you mean," Amber giggled.

She put her hands on Sabrina's waist and pulled her closer, looking into her eyes. Sabrina glanced down at Amber's lips, then slowly leant in, but Amber pulled away at the last second.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I like you, Sabrina, but I can't."

"It's okay," Sabrina replied with a warm smile. "Misty's a lucky girl. I'm sure she'll come around."

She stood up, and Amber stood up after her. They decided to leave their old clothes there in the abandoned building, as neither really cared much for their disguises anyway.

"Hey Amber," Sabrina grinned.

Amber turned to look at her, then raised her eyebrows in anticipation.

"I hope you enjoyed our little distraction all the same. I know I did."

Amber laughed, then blushed a little.

"I get the impression you probably do this sort of flirting quite often," she smiled at Sabrina.

"You don't need telekinetic powers to get your way when you have a set of these," she laughed in return, pushing her boobs up. "By the way, Ash and Gary are quite fun to mess with. You should try it some time."

"I'll do that once we've saved everyone," Amber giggled.

* * *

"Where have you – whoa…" Ash started to say, but stopped when he was distracted by Amber and Sabrina's breasts.

"See what I mean?" Sabrina giggled at Amber.

Amber nodded and winked, then turned to Misty.

"Sorry we're late, we thought these clothes would be a little more appropriate. Have you got a plan?"

They were hiding in a shop across from the Silph building, watching the dozens of Rocket grunts patrolling past. There were so many that it seemed impossible to get even close to Silph Co. The gym was the same, and looked like it had been occupied a little longer than the others. Inside the foyer of the Silph building they could see a few more grunts walking about, tailed by several very angry looking Machamps.

"Sort of," Misty answered, glancing down at Amber's impressive cleavage.

Amber caught her, and Misty knew it, but didn't react.

"There's no way we're getting in there with a battle, they'll kill us," Misty continued. "And I can't think of a way to sneak in, that entrance is completely covered, and so are the side and back entrances."

"I can think of a way," Sabrina said. "I could use my powers to lift someone to the roof. There won't be much, if any guards up there. Who breaks in through the roof?"

"_I've got the layout of the entire Silph Co building right here,"_ CJ told them through their earpieces. _"It used to only have ten floors, but recently they added ten more. Thing is, the schematics show a set of stairs leading to another floor, but there's no twenty-first floor listed."_

"I count twenty-two floors," Amber said.

"_The other floors are filled with offices, labs and research facilities," _CJ continued. _"I'm guessing those two floors at the top are gonna be where they're keeping all the secret stuff."_

"Like hostages," Ash deduced.

"Can you lift someone that high?" Misty asked Sabrina.

"I've never tried," she admitted. "But I don't see why not."

"It's a long way down," Misty said to Ash, who looked back at her in confusion.

"Why're you telling me for?" Ash asked. "I can see that for myself. I'd hate to be the poor bastard that gets telekinetically lifted up there."

Sabrina, Amber and Misty all grinned at Ash, who then figured out what was going on. He held up his hands in self-defence and waved them frantically.

"Ohhhh no. No way, man! I'm _not_ being lifted up there. Psychic powers or otherwise, I'm not doing it."

"Hands up who wants to volunteer to sneak in," Misty smirked.

All three girls kept their hands down, and Sabrina used her powers to make Ash raise his hand.

"That's not fair!" he yelled in protest. "I'm too young to die!"

"Are you seriously gonna ask one of us to do it?" Amber said with raised eyebrows, leaning forwards and folding her arms across her chest to push her boobs up.

The other two girls did the same, and Ash couldn't help but look. They put on their cutest expressions to go with the gesture, and he finally caved in.

"I can't believe this…" he muttered.

Sabrina winked at Amber, who nodded her appreciation for her earlier advice, and Ash stood up to grab his gear.

"So what happens?" he asked. "Sabrina lifts me up to the roof and I break in, then what?"

"The three of us will walk in through the front doors," Misty answered.

"That's dumb! You'll be captured for sure!" Ash yelled.

"I think I know where she's going with this," Amber smiled. "She _wants_ us to be captured. We'll be taken to the top floors with the others and you can sneak around and break us out, and hand us our Pokémon."

"Exactly," Misty confirmed. "We figure out what they're doing in there while we're captured, Ash has a look around at all their stuff, then he breaks us all out, then we break some stuff and escape."

"Apart from me trusting Sabrina with my life twenty-plus storeys above the ground, that all sounds good. Except for one thing: how are we gonna escape?"

"We get to the roof, the Pidgeots land there in all the confusion, we make our escape," Misty answered.

Everyone except Ash looked at each other, pretty satisfied with the plan.

"What's your opinion, CJ?" Ash asked, hoping she'd say it was a dud.

"_It's actually really clever," _she replied, much to Ash's chagrin. _"I just hope Sabrina can lift Ash that high without too much trouble_."

"So we're clear to proceed?" Misty asked.

"_Affirmative. You guys go ahead. Keep your earpieces on. I'm setting them all to transmit to each other as well, so you can talk to each other. Good luck, guys."_

The three girls handed their Pokémon to Ash, who gave them to Pikachu, who hopped into Ash's backpack with them. He headed out the back of the shop, the same way they'd come in, and sneaked around to the side of the Silph Co building, dodging a few Rocket grunts on the way. Sabrina looked through the shop window, with a clear view of Ash, and started to concentrate. She closed her eyes, and at first nothing appeared to happen. After few moments though, Ash began to levitate, slowly getting higher and higher off the ground. After about thirty seconds he'd reached roughly the fifteenth floor, and was beginning to slow down.

"_What's happening, Sabrina? Why am I going so slow?"_

"Shut up," she said, sweat beading and then dripping down her face. "Concentrating."

Ash was too scared to interrupt her again, in case she lost her concentration and he became a puddle on the sidewalk. After another thirty seconds he finally reached the roof, and Sabrina dropped him as he landed on the edge, his feet dangling down. He crawled over the top and went out of sight, and the girls now had to trust that he wouldn't be discovered, and that he'd find some intelligence on the Elite Four's plans.

"_I'm in,"_ he said. _"See you three soon."_

"Okay then," Misty stood up, then walked to the door with Amber and Sabrina in tow. "Let's go get ourselves captured."

"Let's hope this actually works…" Amber added, crossing her fingers.


	4. Escape From Saffron City

Sabrina, Misty and Amber came out of the shop and marched straight to the Silph Co building. It actually took the Rockets several moments to figure out what was going on. It wasn't every day that three beautiful, young, dangerous and wanted girls came strolling straight into enemy territory unarmed, and seemingly out of nowhere, after all. Several of them eventually approached the girls, after the first few stopped to check them out, but otherwise ignored them.

"Are you three crazy?" a male Rocket grunt asked. "Have you lost the will to fight? Or are you looking for trouble?"

Misty uppercutted the grunt in the chin with the heel of her hand, smashing his teeth together and making him stumble backwards holding his mouth. Blood poured out from between his fingers as he groaned in pain. Several more grunts came rushing in accompanied by Machamps, who quickly grabbed all three of them and held them in the air by their arms and legs with their four arms.

"Did you really think that would work?" another grunt laughed. "You walk straight into Saffron City, unarmed, and punch a member of Rocket United in the face, and you think you'd just get away with it? No Pokémon battle, no nothing?"

None of the girls replied, or even showed any sign of emotion at all, they simply stared at the grunt.

"Take them to the boss," the grunt said, waving them off. "And someone get Dino some medical attention…and a dentist. What a mess."

The grunts and their Machamps led them into the Silph Co building and into a lift, before waving a keycard and pressing the button for floor twenty-one. The lift was fast, and after only five seconds they'd already reached twenty-first floor. One grunt led the way out, followed by the three Machamps, then two more grunts brought up the rear. They led them through a corridor that had several large labs along it, before turning right and seeing what appeared to be an enormous testing centre, then turning right again until making it all the way to the end of the corridor.

They entered another testing centre, this one almost completely empty. Inside it was dark except for a series of cages running along one wall, all with Pokémon inside. Misty could tell immediately that they were Shadow Pokémon. Suddenly a light flicked on and they saw someone they never thought they'd see again.

"And just who the hell do you three think you are?"

"Jessie…" Amber whispered, totally shocked.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Jessie asked, coming closer until she was standing right in front of the three girls.

"We should have killed you when we had the chance," Amber seethed through clenched teeth.

Jessie started laughing. "I don't believe it. Amber Gibson. My, my, this _is_ a coincidence."

She stepped to her right and took a closer look at Sabrina and Misty, but couldn't recognise them straight away.

"You two, I don't think I've met…in any case, it doesn't matter. You look like a pair of freaks, so that's exactly how you'll be treated. No one walks into my town and attacks my men and gets away with it."

She stepped back over to Amber and brushed her cheek with the back of her hand.

"It's a real shame, we could have been so good together," she smirked. "Instead, here I am running the show, and here _you_ are, captured and defenceless."

"Your men…they're _animals_," Amber spat. "The things they did to me…that _you_ allowed them to do –"

"– you mean _ordered_ them to do," Jessie corrected. "You're less than useless. You deserve every punishment I gave you. That's all you'll ever be good for. And guess what? You've failed again. This time you'll suffer properly."

"You sure that's what your masters want?" Sabrina grinned. "Or do you think they'll break you out of jail again? Of all the people that could mock someone for failing…you're a joke, Jessie."

"Just who the hell do you think you are, bitch?" Jessie screeched. "_I'm_ in charge here, and you'll do _exactly _as I say if you want to survive."

Sabrina lifted Jessie into the air, but she immediately fell back to the ground. Sabrina's expression changed from smug to shocked instantly as she realised her abilities weren't working.

"_Now_ I know who you are," Jessie cackled. "The gym leader. How do you like your town now?"

"You'll pay for what you've done to this city," Sabrina frowned. "For what you've done to the whole _world_. And this time there won't be any jail. I'll just kill you."

"Well, you'll have to find some other way of doing it, 'cause this time I've got a secret weapon."

She clicked her fingers and a Hypno was brought out by one of the grunts.

"Your fancy psychic powers won't work here," Jessie laughed. "You really don't have a chance. But it was very nice of you to get yourselves caught. I'm sure the Elite Four would love to know who I've got in custody. But who's this third girl?"

She stepped over to Misty and looked her up and down. She still didn't recognise her, but scoffed at her outfit.

"You must be one of Sabrina's psychic buddies," she snorted. "The way you people dress, you're all a bunch of freaks."

"It must be hard getting old," Misty mocked. "Watching all us younger girls looking hot while you try to find a shoulder pad suit that fits over your enormous child-bearing hips."

"_Child-bearing hips?_" Jessie screamed. "How _dare_ you! You insolent little _twerp!_"

She gave Misty a hard backhand to the face, but Misty didn't even flinch. She just frowned, and kept looking Jessie right in the eyes.

"The more you do that, the slower I'm gonna kill you," Misty said calmly. "I know what you did to my Pokémon…to my _sisters_. And I'm gonna make you pay. I'll make you beg for the death you deserve."

"I don't even know your stupid sisters," Jessie snorted. "I don't even know who _you_ are."

"Yes you do," Amber grinned. "You're just a little slow."

Misty looked to her left, towards the door they entered from, then back to Jessie.

"Don't blink," she said coldly to Jessie. "You're about to miss it."

"_CHUUUUUU!_"

Jessie spun on her heels to see the Hypno get sent flying into the cages, then crash to the floor unconscious, spasming away after receiving an incredibly powerful electric attack. The three Machamps were then levitated into the air by Sabrina and hurled into the three Rocket grunts. As Jessie turned back around to see the Machamps crashing into the grunts, Misty rushed forward and slammed a fist into Jessie's face. She fell straight to the ground, clutching her jaw.

"How _dare_ you hit my beautiful face, you –"

She was interrupted by another punch that sent her straight back to the ground again and rolled her over onto her front. Misty sat on her back and wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled backwards, choking her as hard as she could.

Meanwhile, Ash re-armed Amber and Sabrina, and got to work on the Shadow Pokémon. Amber released her Vaporeon, and helped Pikachu to knock out all the caged Shadow Pokémon with concentrated Thunderbolt and Hydro Pump combinations. The Shadow Pokémon couldn't escape the cages, and were quickly dealt with. Sabrina released her Espeon and Alakazam, which together made short work of the three Shadow Machamps as well as the Rocket grunts. Amber knew it was only a matter of time before reinforcements arrived for the Rockets, so they had to get out of there quickly.

"Ash!" she yelled over the noise of the crashing and blasting going on all around them. "We need to leave! _NOW!_"

"I know, I know!" he yelled back.

"Tell me you found something!"

He looked frustrated as he glanced down at the ground, then back up to her.

"They're not here," he said angrily. "I don't know where they are, but they're definitely not in this building. I found some files on a computer upstairs though, and I copied them. That's all we're gonna get here."

"Then we should get back to HQ before this all turns bad," Amber said, then tapped her earpiece. "HQ, we need a pickup, and fast."

Misty was still busy with Jessie, though. Jessie had managed to fight Misty off after she'd started choking her, managing to sufficiently loosen Misty's grip to escape. She rolled away to her side and kicked Misty in the belly, sending her tumbling backwards, but she rolled back onto her feet and charged straight back again. She dove at Jessie, collecting her with her shoulder and knocking them both over.

She clambered up Jessie's body and dug one of her knees into her neck, then started punching her repeatedly in the face. She broke Jessie's nose, and blood started pouring out of it like a running tap. Jessie pushed her off, but Misty slammed a foot down into her belly as she lay on the ground, before getting back to her feet and kicking her as hard as she could in the ribs.

"Not so fun when it's _you_ getting your ass kicked, is it Jessie?" Misty growled.

Blinded by rage, she straddled Jessie's chest as the older woman lay broken and defeated on the ground. She grabbed her by the throat with both hands and squeezed as hard as she could. Jessie weakly grabbed at her wrists and hands, but was too badly beaten to defend herself properly. Misty stared into her eyes as Jessie attempted to beg for her life.

"Still don't know who I am?" she said through clenched teeth. "Remember Daisy, Violet and Lily Waterflower? The ones you had beaten to within an inch of their lives so you could find their little sister?"

Jessie's eyes widened in horror as she finally realised who Misty was.

"That's right, it's Misty," she said flatly and coldly as she strangled her. "And this is for my sisters, and my Pokémon. They did _nothing_, and you ordered your grunts to hurt them anyway. Now, I'm going to kill you."

Jessie panicked desperately, kicking and thrashing as best as she could as Misty strangled the life out of her. She kept staring into her eyes, cold and vicious, watching her slowly die.

"Misty! We have to go!" Amber yelled. "Now!"

Misty didn't reply, she didn't even acknowledge her. She just kept staring down into Jessie's eyes as she passed out.

"Misty!" Amber yelled again. "I mean it, we have to _go!_ Reinforcements will be here any second. We've got what we came for, now it's time to _leave!_"

Misty kept on strangling Jessie, as if she didn't hear Amber at all. She didn't care. All she wanted was for Jessie to die, to pay for all the crimes she'd committed. Suddenly she was grabbed around the neck and yanked backwards. She swung her elbows and struck the person, and they groaned in pain, but didn't let go.

She was dragged backwards by the neck until they got outside, then slammed into a wall. She was thrown so hard that the plaster cracked and gave way, and she hit the wall studs. It was Amber.

"Now is _not_ the _time!_" she screamed. "If we don't leave now, we're _all dead!_"

"Fuck you!" Misty yelled back. "I don't care! I'm going back in there! I have to finish her!"

She pushed Amber off of her as hard as she could, sending her into the opposite wall, but Amber came back at her immediately and slapped her hard in the face. She glared at Misty, waiting for another strike that wouldn't come. Instead, Misty broke down and cried.

"It's okay…" Amber said softly, grabbing Misty and hugging her tight. "I know what you're going through, I understand. But now isn't the right time for this. We have to think bigger. This can't just be about personal revenge, there's so much more at stake."

"She ordered her stupid henchmen to turn all my friends into _monsters!_" Misty wailed. "She hurt my sisters! They didn't even _do_ anything _wrong!_"

"I know, sweetie, I know," Amber hushed her, gently stroking her hair as she held her. "And when we get back to Pallet Town, I promise I'll hold you all night and you can cry on me until you dehydrate yourself. I'll even get you more water so you can cry some more. But right now we really have to go. Okay?"

Misty kept sobbing, holding onto Amber like a lost child who'd just found their mother again. She nodded into Amber's shoulder.

"Okay," Amber whispered. "Let's go then. I can hear the Rockets coming."

Sure enough, two more Rocket grunts armed with a pair of Crobats came running up the corridor towards them.

"There they are! They've escaped!" one grunt said.

"Quick! Get 'em!" the other yelled.

Amber released her Jolteon as Sabrina and Ash followed them towards the staircase that led to floor twenty-two and the roof. Ash released his Charizard as they ran.

"Jolteon! Thunderbolt!" Amber commanded.

Jolteon arched his back and sent a powerful blast at light speed straight at the Crobat, launching them backwards on contact, careening them into their Rocket grunt trainers. The grunts and Crobats got up again, relatively undamaged.

"Crobats! Wing Attack!" one yelled.

The Crobats swooped down and struck Jolteon in the side, knocking him back along the corridor and almost hitting Amber. She leapt into the air to avoid being struck, and Jolteon quickly got back to his feet.

"We don't have time for this!" she shouted. "Jolteon, Thunder Wave!"

Jolteon sent down a weaker blast that knocked the two Crobats and the grunts to the floor and made them spasm periodically, totally paralysed.

"Nice work, Jolteon," Amber said as she ran past them, with Misty, Ash and Sabrina in tow.

"Charizard, burn this place down!" Ash ordered, and Charizard obliged with a glint in his eye.

He sent several large Flamethrower attacks hurling back down the corridor, setting all the labs and the first testing facility ablaze, and turning the entire twenty-first floor into an inferno. Sprinkler systems came on, but Charizard's flames were so intense they really made no impact. Within seconds the flames had taken control, and Charizard congratulated himself as he ran after the others.

They made their way to the stairs and ran up, taking two stairs at a time, passing the twenty-second floor and quickly finding a door at the very top that read 'Roof Access – Authorised Personnel Only'.

"Quickly! Through there!" Ash yelled, pushing the door open and running out into the afternoon sun.

There were four Pidgeots waiting for them, and they quickly climbed aboard.

"Jolteon, return!" Amber said as Jolteon turned into a flash of red light, and her Pidgeot took off at an incredible pace, followed by Ash, Sabrina and Misty on their Pidgeots, and Charizard.

"Charizard, you stay with us for a while, until we clear the city, okay?" Ash said.

Charizard nodded an affirmative as he flew alongside them, keeping a lookout for any potential attacking Rocket grunts.

* * *

CJ and Professor Oak greeted the group as they flew in on their Pidgeots, the daylight almost completely gone. Misty had stopped crying for now, but hadn't said a word the entire way back. Ritchie came out when he noticed that they'd arrived and joined Oak and CJ. Misty immediately headed for the guest house by herself.

"Have you got the files?" he asked Ash.

Ash nodded and handed him a tiny flash disk. Ritchie took it eagerly and smiled back at him.

"I'll get started sorting through this right away," he said. "You guys did an incredible job. Marching straight into prime Rocket territory would be suicide for anyone else."

"He's right," CJ agreed. "You really shouldn't underestimate what a great job you all did."

"Jessie's still alive," Amber told them. "She was in command of the Silph Co building."

"They must have given her a second chance," CJ deduced. "I can't figure the odds in them doing that."

"After her recklessness in handling the initial stages of their plan, neither can I," Oak agreed.

"Well, let's just hope that Ritchie and the other Jennies can find some useful info in those files you brought us," CJ said.

"I couldn't exactly figure it out in the short time I had," Ash explained, "but I did notice some stuff on Master Ball technology and the Evolution Machine."

"That doesn't sound like a good combination at all," Ritchie commented with a grim face.

"Well there's no point speculating until we know more," CJ said. "Ritchie, you and Vermillion Jenny better get started."

"Right away," Ritchie acknowledged, then quickly went back inside.

CJ approached Amber and gently pulled her away from the group.

"I noticed Misty went off as soon as you all got back. Is she okay?" she asked.

Amber sighed. "Seeing Jessie at the Silph building wasn't good for her," she explained. "She knows how petty she can be, and she didn't handle seeing her Pokémon and her sisters too well. Once she figured out Jessie was responsible, she went a little crazy. She almost killed her in Saffron."

"Too bad she didn't," CJ muttered.

"I would have let her, but we had to get out of there," Amber admitted. "The whole building was filled with Rocket grunts, hundreds of them. We'd have been killed, or worse, captured. Ash and Charizard lit the top two floors up as we left. I don't know if it'll take down the whole building, but it'll definitely set them back. Might even have taken Jessie out."

CJ breathed a sigh of relief. "Well at least _something_ positive came out of all this. We've got all of Silph's secret files on their project with Rocket United, and Jessie's been taken out of the picture, at least for now, and their work has been set back. I'd say that's a win for us."

"I agree," Amber nodded. "We've definitely come out on top this time, but there's a long way to go. We still don't know how the Elite Four plan on executing their plan, or what their true resources really are. Right now I think we all just need a good night's sleep. Especially Misty."

"You go look after your friend," CJ gestured towards the guest house. "We'll get to work analysing the data Ash gave us. We'll see you in the morning."

* * *

Amber got a quick Pidgeot ride to the other side of the ranch and entered the guest house. Misty's outfit was scattered on the ground next to her bed, and she could hear the shower running. She knocked on the door, but got no response.

"Misty?" Amber called. "It's Amber. Are you okay?"

No response.

"If you wanna be left alone, I understand. I just wanna know that you're alright, then I'll go."

"Don't go," Misty called back softly.

"Okay, I'm right here. I'll wait outside."

She heard Misty turn off the shower and quickly dry herself off. The door opened, much sooner than Amber had expected, and Misty walked out stark naked, carrying her towel in her hand.

"Whoa! I'm so sorry, I didn't know you'd be so undressed…I promise I'm not looking…"

"Whatever," Misty said dismissively. "It's not like you've never seen girl bits before."

"Misty, talk to me," Amber said worriedly. "I mean, put some clothes on first, then talk to me."

Misty didn't answer. She went into her room and put on some clothes while Amber waited outside, facing the other way and shielding her eyes in case Misty surprised her with some more nakedness.

"It's fine, I'm dressed," Misty said flatly as she came out of her room and sat down on a sofa, crossing her legs and staring into space.

She'd put on a newer version of the same clothes she wore when travelling with Ash and Brock around Kanto and Johto, minus the suspenders. Her top was the same yellow as her old one, but was tight-fitting and showed a bit of cleavage. Her booty shorts were almost identical to her old ones, complete with rolled-up hems and a low waist.

"Ash once told me that you used to dress just like this when you travelled with him," Amber said. "You look really cute."

"I wanted to feel young again," she explained, her voice dismissive and emotionless. "Last time I think I was truly happy was when I was travelling."

Amber sat down next to her and held her hand, grasping it in both of hers. Misty pulled it away quickly and turned slightly.

"Are you sure you don't want to be alone?" Amber asked softly.

Misty sighed deeply, and turned back to face her. She looked into Amber's eyes, and Amber could see that she was crying. She gently stroked Misty's arms, and Misty leaned forward and collapsed into her and started bawling her eyes out. Amber held her tightly, gently stroking the back of her neck as Misty cried and cried.

"It's okay, Mist," she whispered. "I'm here."

"All of this…it's all because of me," she whimpered.

"Not it's not, don't say that," Amber consoled her.

"It _is_, though," Misty sobbed. "The only reason my sisters were even there is because I was off pretending I can save the whole world. If I'd been there, nobody else would have gotten hurt. I should never have left the gym."

"You _did_ save the world," Amber assured her. "Jessie would have killed _everyone_ if you hadn't stepped in. Those legendary birds almost cost the entire planet. Everybody everywhere owes you a debt they can't possibly ever repay. Name someone else who can say that?"

"Ash Ketchum," Misty reminded her, momentarily stopping crying, her eyes puffy and red, her cheeks wet.

"Oh yeah…I suppose it's not every day you get to hang out with two people who've saved the world multiple times," she thought out loud.

"Ash is so much more important than I am. All I'm doing is getting everybody hurt."

"So many people and Pokémon are getting hurt right now, not just your sisters and your Pokémon," Amber told her. "That's why we're doing this. How many other people have _lost_ their sisters to Rocket United since this started? You've already saved so many people. There're so many families that are still together now because of what you did, and so many more that will be in the future. We can't do this without you. And remember, Ash would probably be dead right now if it wasn't for you."

"Using _his_ Pokémon, not mine," she argued.

"He couldn't have used them himself. That was all you."

"You're just saying all this stuff to make me feel better."

Amber grabbed her by the shoulders and looked deep into Misty's soaking wet, puffy, bloodshot turquoise eyes.

"I'm saying all this stuff because it's true, and you've forgotten," she said softly but sternly. "All the greatest trainers, the greatest _people_, they all feel despair. They all need reminding sometimes that it's all gonna be okay. Sometimes they just need that person to hold them and remind them of how great they really are. It's called being human."

Misty welled up again, and tears slowly began rolling down her cheeks.

"Rocket United are doing terrible things to so many people, and we need to stop them before they change the world forever," Amber continued. "You're such an important part of this, Misty. Without you, we have no chance. Without you, _I_ have no chance."

"Why are you so sweet to me?" Misty asked, sobbing again. "I don't deserve a friend like you."

"You deserve so much more than I can ever give you," Amber smiled sweetly, wiping away her tears. "I'm just so happy that I can be a part of your life, especially after what I did. You wanna know who doesn't deserve something? I don't deserve _you_."

Misty started bawling again, collapsing back into Amber's arms. Amber gently stroked Misty's neck and back as Misty tightly squeezed her.

"I'm so grateful every day now," Amber whispered.

"For what?"

"Because I met the most wonderful girl, and she let me into her life. I'm so lucky to have a beautiful friend like you. I don't deserve it after all the things I've done, and you're still here anyway. I guess you saved me too, and I'll never stop reminding myself how important you are to me."

Misty slowly pulled away a little, and looked deep into Amber's eyes. Amber gently wiped her tears away with her thumbs, and Misty inched closer to her, glancing down at her lips. Amber gently cupped Misty's face as they slowly got closer and closer, then locked lips. They kissed slowly and passionately, as Amber's thumbs gently stroked Misty's cheeks, then made their way to her neck. Misty held Amber's waist, very lightly grazing her soft skin with her fingertips, slowly sliding up her top. After what seemed like hours they finally pulled away, gazing into each other's eyes, still holding each other.

"Wow…" Amber breathed. "I've never been kissed like that before."

"Shh…" Misty whispered, a smile finally coming to her face, as she pressed a finger to Amber's lips. "Come with me."

She got up off the sofa, holding Amber's hand, and led her into her room, shutting and locking the door behind her.


	5. The Trouble With Brock

The next morning Sabrina, Ash, Amber and Misty all rose late. They were exhausted from a very trying day, emotionally and physically, and were all still feeling down after failing to recover James, Meowth, Erika, Brock and Gary. CJ, Oak and the others all chose not to wake them, letting them get up and get ready in their own time. It was almost midday before they all made their way to the lab, and the Jennies and Ritchie were all already hard at work.

"Good timing," Ritchie greeted them. "We've made a bit of a breakthrough with the intel you recovered."

"Yes," Saffron Jenny added. "We don't think Rocket United were expecting you to attack their stronghold at Silph Co, or they wouldn't have left behind info on a back door into their systems. You may have set them back several months by destroying their labs."

Ash grinned widely. "It was fun, too."

"What did you find out?" Amber asked.

"You may want to sit down," Saffron Jenny continued. "Remember the Evolution Machine Silph made for Rocket United? How it evolved any Pokémon to its final evolutionary form?"

"How could we forget," Ash grunted. "It turned everything it touched into a Shadow Pokémon."

"That's right," Ritchie confirmed. "But somehow they've found a way to combine both the evolution aspect of the machine _and_ the unintended side-effect of turning Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon, with Silph's Master Ball technology _and _aspects of the Master Cages and Bill's Storage System."

"Meaning…what exactly?" Amber asked.

Vermillion Jenny sighed. "They've started work on a machine that can capture an entire region's worth of Pokémon, transfer them back to a place of Rocket United's choosing, while turning them into fully evolved Shadow Pokémon."

Misty, Ash and Amber's jaws dropped and Sabrina frowned worriedly, which was bad for Sabrina. CJ and Oak entered the room, and looked as though they'd already heard the news.

"The good news is that you destroyed a prototype of that system," CJ announced. "The bad news is that they kept backups of their system on a different floor to the ones you burned down."

"Did it contain anything else useful?" Sabrina asked. "Like where we might find the Elite Four?"

"Or where my friends are?" Misty added. "And whether Jessie's dead or not?"

"Unfortunately the Silph systems don't have any information on the location of the Elite Four," CJ said with a sigh. "But Ritchie _did_ find something out while going through their communications."

"That's right," he said. "I've been working with computers a lot lately, and I was able to get into Jessie's emails. Jessie actually sent an email to Lorelei last night, so it looks like she survived your attack."

Misty growled angrily under her breath.

"Also, the others are being held at a facility inside the Victory Road tunnels, near Viridian City. There's bad news too though," Ritchie said, looking down at his shoes and clearing his throat. "They're being held by Lorelei and Bruno, and they plan to 'interrogate or torture them, whatever is required'. They wanna learn about our resistance, and how we're organised."

"Well at least we know that they consider us a threat," Sabrina frowned some more. "We must be doing something right."

"How far they've fallen," Oak said sadly. "It wasn't so long ago that they were looked up to by millions of kids all over the world. Almost every single trainer I've given a starter Pokémon to wanted to be like at least one of them. Now look at what they've become."

"All the more reason we have to stop them," Misty snapped.

"We've seen Lorelei battle before," Ash added. "We know what we're up against. We might be pretty outmatched, but we're the best chance the world has."

"And that's exactly why we have to do this _right_," CJ told them. "If you four fail, we won't have anyone else. Even your friend Anders from Lavaridge Town has gone missing lately, there really isn't anyone else that's even close to a match for the Elite Four."

"What about the Elite Four trainers from other regions?" Amber asked. "Couldn't they help us?"

"My cousins and second cousins from Sinnoh, Johto, all of them…they're all reporting the same sorts of things as what we've been reporting here in Kanto," Vermillion Jenny sighed. "Only difference is, the Elite Four trainers in all the other regions are nowhere to be found. Nobody's seen or heard from them since this all started."

"Because _our_ Elite Four must have taken them out before they became a true threat," Misty deduced. "They'd be close to an even match for them, and with all the other regions combined they'd be totally outnumbered."

"I hope you're right," Saffron Jenny shook her head. "Because if they're all in league with each other, we're all gonna be neck-deep in shit."

Everyone turned and stared at her, not sure what to say.

"What?" she asked.

"You _never_ swear!" Vermillion Jenny cried out in shock.

"I guess I do now," she shrugged.

"I've known you my whole life and never once have I heard you swear before," Vermillion Jenny laughed.

"You know it's serious when there's a swearing Officer Jenny around," Oak chuckled. "Now if you all don't mind, I'd like to get onto planning this rescue operation, as I'm sure our captured friends would too."

They all gathered around the screens and watched as Ritchie pulled up as much information on the Veridian side of the Victory Road caves as he could, as well as scanning the Silph systems for anything that might help.

"Oh Misty, before I forget," Oak said, pulling her aside. "Your sisters and your friend Joy would like to see you. They were worried about you when we told them what you were up to in Saffron City, and they didn't get to see you last night. Would you mind just putting their minds at ease before you join us?"

"Of course," Misty said with a bright smile, looking happier than she had in a long time. "I actually can't wait to see them again."

She took off into the house part of Oak's property, practically skipping with excitement at seeing them all. Despite their rough past, the Waterflower sisters had grown to be the best friends four sisters could ever be. They'd become close to a fault, and even though Misty was still the youngest and still occasionally got tormented by the others, they now spent as much time together as they could, and even had a fair bit in common. When Misty became friends with Nurse Joy from the Western Cerulean Pokémon Centre, she'd started hanging out with them all too, and fit in almost like a fifth sister.

Even though it had only been less than a day, more than anything she just wanted to give them all a massive hug and sit down with them all over a coffee like they used to before the Rocket United/Elite Four crisis began. Seeing the four of them reduced to slaves by Rocket United had torn Misty apart. Her deep loyalty and emotional attachment to her friends and family was one of Misty's greatest strengths, but in the hands of Rocket United and the Elite Four, it had become an enormous liability.

Unfortunately for them, one of Misty's other great strengths was her determination and resolve. Having been rendered useless as her friends and family suffered, Misty had been brought back down to earth in a big hurry. The only way for her to go from here was back up again, and with Rocket United and the Elite Four in the way of that, the only path was straight through them.

Daisy, Violet, Lily and Joy all smiled warmly as Misty entered Oak's lounge room, where they'd already organised a round of coffee for everyone. The four girls all hugged her like they hadn't seen her in years, and quickly got to work catching up and relaxing, relishing in the relative peace and safety of Professor Oak's property.

* * *

"So we make our way through the caves until this point," Amber explained to Misty, pointing at a location on a map. "It's about half a mile in."

"I don't understand how nobody noticed it before," Misty commented.

"Victory Road is a dangerous tunnel," Sabrina reminded her. "There are much safer ways to get to Indigo Plateau. Hardly anyone actually goes through there. And besides, this part of the cave isn't new. It's a dead end, and Bruno had it hollowed out and dug deeper for more room. The Rockets just sealed off the entrance and hid it afterwards. Nobody would even think twice about ignoring it, and there are very few people familiar enough with the Victory Road tunnel system to be able to notice that a dead end was missing."

"So we know Bruno and Lorelei are there, what about Rocket grunts?" Misty asked.

"As far as Ritchie could tell, it should be empty except for a few guards," Amber informed her. "They shouldn't be much of a problem. Sabrina and Pikachu can take care of them easily enough."

"And what's the plan once we get inside?"

"That's the part we haven't figured out yet," Amber shrugged. "We don't know what's going on in there, what the layout is or what Bruno and Lorelei have planned, other than they're holding the others and interrogating them."

"We're playing it by ear," Ash said, a serious expression on his face similar to the one he had before a big Pokémon battle.

"How are our Pokémon doing?" Misty asked.

"They're fine, it was really only Pikachu, Vaporeon and Charizard that needed any rest," Sabrina told her. "We're good to go, even the Pidgeots are rested up and ready for action."

"Then let's get outta here," Misty nodded. "Our friends are waiting for us."

* * *

Brock felt more alone than he ever had before. His mind had started to wander, after being left alone with nothing else but his thoughts and the odd terrible meal for the whole day. He'd been segregated from James, Meowth, Erika and Gary since they'd arrived, and no one had even come in to abuse him, let alone anything else.

Suddenly Lorelei stepped in, dressed in a skin-tight leather mini-dress, showing miles of cleavage in typical Lorelei style. She took off her glasses as she entered, and put them on a nearby table as she made her way over to him.

"You look sad," she said to him.

Brock couldn't tell if she was being sincere or simply making fun of him, but he didn't care. Either way, she was being a smartass and he didn't like it.

"Perhaps I'm sad because you had my friends and I captured, tied us all to chairs and fed us some weird gunk that tastes like old chewing gum for a whole day," Brock answered, irritated by her attitude.

"None of this was my idea, Brock," she said, pulling up a chair and sitting facing him.

"No, I'm sure you wanted to set us free and come help us," he rolled his eyes. "I'm sure my next meal will be delicious too."

"I'm serious," she insisted. "I never wanted you to get tangled up in this mess. I wanted to let you go."

"You expect me to believe that you would have let me leave and go back to my friends if it were up to you?" he laughed. "How stupid do you think I am?"

"I don't think you're stupid at all, I think you're smart, and capable, and talented."

"So _that's_ why I'm here then?"

She sighed and looked down at her feet, which Brock had to admit to himself was not something he was expecting.

"No, you're here because Lance thinks it's better if you're out of the way," she said.

"And why are _you _here?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"Because I'm supposed to interrogate you," she admitted. "Lance's orders. But I don't wanna do that."

Brock was thoroughly confused now. He couldn't make any sense of what she was saying. Nothing she was leaving out even made any sense.

"I really don't believe you," he frowned. "Do your worst, Lorelei, but interrogation won't work on me. Even your worst torture won't be enough. I'll never help you kill my friends."

"I don't know what I have to say to get you to understand that _I don't want to torture you_," Lorelei practically begged. "Why would I torture someone I admire so much? Just because Lance said I have to do it, doesn't mean I will. We're partners in this, not his employees."

"Now you _admire_ me?" Brock scoffed. "Now I _know_ you're being ridiculous. Just interrogate me, torture me, whatever, I don't care. Get it over with."

"Brock, you're a handsome guy, you're a brilliant Pokémon Breeder, and an outstanding trainer, but sometimes you really can be as dense as a house brick."

She got up and stepped closer to him, leant down and kissed him softly and slowly on the cheek. As she stood up again her expression was serious.

"I can't just let you go, Lance will probably kill me," she explained. "But I'm not going to hurt you. I refuse. I'm starting to think this whole thing was a massive mistake. Hurting people has really made me think about my place, about my life. But I can't just free you all and walk out. I have to be smart about this."

She gently stroked his cheek with her hand, then turned and made her way to the door, taking her glasses on the way.

"I was kinda hoping you'd come with me, I've always had a fascination with Pokémon Breeding," she said, as she reached the door, then turned around once more to face him. "I thought we'd make a pretty good pair. This whole Elite Four thing has gotten so far out of hand. If I'd known what it was going to descend into, I probably never would have joined them. But I understand if you're not interested. After some of the things me and the other Elite Four members have done lately, I can hardly blame you."

Brock was totally at odds with himself as she spoke. At first he was so convinced she was manipulating him, but a lot of what she said just didn't add up with that, and she seemed so sincere about it.

_If she's really leaving the Elite Four, then that's great,_ he thought. _With my help, she might be able to get away from them for good – be a good person again._

She smiled warmly at him as she grabbed the doorhandle.

"I have to speak to Lance, report on my 'progress'," she said, gesturing the quotes with her fingers. "Please think about what I said. It would mean a lot to me if you come with me. But you don't have to, I'll understand if you don't. I'll be back soon, okay? I promise."

She winked at him and made a kissing gesture as she opened the door and walked out. Once the door was closed, Brock breathed out a massive sigh.

"What the hell just happened?" he asked himself out loud.

_She didn't even try to seduce me or anything…this is all so weird. She seemed so…nice. I actually wish Ash was here right now. Or Misty. They'd know what to do._

* * *

It was about an hour before Lorelei came back. Brock's mind had started to wander again, running wild with thoughts about Lorelei. Brock had always had a problem with pretty girls, but Lorelei was no ordinary pretty girl. And this felt different to him. Normally when a girl started to like him, he lost interest almost immediately. He partly put it down to his increased age and maturity, but he couldn't help but think that Lorelei was just _different_.

A large part of him wanted to help her, too. There were three major sides to Brock's personality. If his drive was one, and his hopeless girl-lust was another, then the third side was definitely his desire to help those in need. He'd done it before plenty of times, like when he stayed with Professor Ivy, and when his father abandoned him and his many, many siblings. It was in his nature to be one of the good guys. And this time he wanted to help Lorelei.

She came back in and strolled casually back to the chair she'd pulled out in front of him and took a seat.

"Sorry I took so long," she apologised. "Lance had a lot of suggestions for me when I told him you wouldn't tell me anything."

Brock didn't answer. He was still skeptical about her, even though he wanted to believe her. She looked down at the ground with a sad expression on her face.

"You don't trust me," she said. "I get that. I really don't deserve your trust. But that's not gonna stop me from trying to do the right thing anyway. I said I'd get you out of here, and I still intend to."

"I don't get it," Brock finally said. "First you're all gung-ho about the Elite Four and taking over the world, and now suddenly you wanna break us all out and take me with you? Leave everything behind and start fresh?"

"Like I said, we've done some horrible things. I don't wanna be a part of that anymore. When we started out this plan, it was a chance to end corruption and give the people something they could admire and count on. Now it's gotten totally out of hand."

"If you really believe that, then you'll come with me and help us stop them," Brock replied.

Lorelei paused, like she was weighing things up in her mind. Brock stared at her, trying to read her expressions.

"I'll think about it," she answered. "But I have things I need to do first."

"You want me to come with you? I won't unless you help us."

Lorelei smiled warmly at him.

"You're an honourable man, Brock," she said. "Another quality to admire about you. Okay, I'll help, but like I said, I have to do some things first. It won't take long, but I have to go back home first before I can help you."

"Then I'll come with you, after we break my friends outta here, and then we can go together."

"No," she shook her head. "I have to do this alone. I'll meet up with you after I'm done."

"What do you have to do?" he asked, still the tiniest bit skeptical.

"I have to cover my tracks with Lance and the other Elite Four members," she answered. "They know me too well, I can't risk getting caught. It'll just lead them back to you. If they think I'm somewhere else, and still on their side, they won't follow me. By the time they figure out I've betrayed them, it'll be too late. They'll never find me again."

"I guess that makes sense," he said. "Why can't I go with you though?"

She knelt down next to him and lightly stroked his cheek with her hand.

"You're sweet, Brock. But I can't put you in unnecessary danger, for one thing. They'll be tracking me, keeping an eye on me until I'm in a position to do something about it. Until then, I'm only putting you in danger, and giving them a reason not to trust me. The less they know, the better. If they see me with you, they'll ask questions."

"Okay, I understand," he nodded. "Let's get out of here then."

"Not just yet," she shook her head. "First I have to draw the guards away and make sure Bruno doesn't suspect anything."

"Fair enough," he admitted. "But once that's done we should get the others and get going."

Lorelei looked away, her expression one of disappointment.

"I'm sorry Brock, but I can't get you all out at the same time. I can get you out first, then maybe come back for someone else, but after that I'll need to get Bruno out of here, or he'll know I'm up to something. That's one of the things I have to do before I can join you."

Brock sighed. It made sense to him though. If she really was going to break everyone out and join up with them, she couldn't risk Bruno or the other Elite Four members finding out anything until she was sure she couldn't be tracked or followed in any way. He really had no choice but to trust her if this was going to work out.

"I'll be back shortly. I just have to distract Bruno and the guards with something."

She leaned forwards and gently kissed him on the cheek.

"Thankyou for letting me do this, Brock," she smiled. "You won't regret it, I promise."

She quickly left the room, and returned a few minutes later, just like she said she would.

"Okay they're all out of sight for now, but we don't have long," she said quickly and quietly as she untied him. "I can get you out, and they won't come back here to look for you for a while. After that I'll need to give Bruno a reason to leave this place for a while. It's the only way I can free your friends without raising suspicion."

Brock grunted in frustration.

"Dammit…fine, let's just get out of here then," he muttered.

"I'll get them out of here, Brock," she told him, looking into his eyes. "You have my word."

She took him by the hand and led him out of the facility, grabbing his Pokéball belt for him on the way. They got all the way out to the main Victory Road tunnel system without seeing a single guard, just like she said they would. She stopped him as they exited the facility and took his other hand.

"Where should I go once this is all done?" she asked, almost whispering.

"Meet us at Professor Oak's ranch in Pallet Town," he told her. "I'll tell them to expect you, you won't be attacked."

She pulled him close and kissed him slowly and softly on the lips.

"Be careful, okay? There are a lot of troops between here and Pallet Town," she told him. "I'll meet you there when I can. I won't gone for too long."

Brock was in a partial daze. He wasn't expecting a kiss, and a kiss from someone as beautiful as Lorelei really was something else. A huge smile adorned his surprised face.

"Go," she giggled. "There'll be time for more of that later."

Brock quickly turned and made his way out of the tunnel as fast as he could manage without running into walls. He released his Crobat and held onto his foot, letting his old friend guide him out safely.

* * *

Ash and Amber took point, with Misty and Sabrina not far behind. The tunnel was pitch black, and without Ash's Charizard they'd have been lost by now for sure. The afternoon sun was still bright in the sky, but it wasn't far from turning into evening, and the light barely made it more than fifty feet into the tunnel anyway.

They only had a short distance to travel in relative terms before they were expecting to come across the facility entrance, and they were prepared for anything.

Anything except Brock.

Charizard almost attacked him on sight before he realised who it was, barely managing to avoid singeing his spiky hair.

"Brock?" Ash cried out. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?"

"I was captured in Viridian, they took me here," he answered, a little puzzled.

"No, man, I meant what are you doing here in this tunnel by yourself?"

"Oh, Lorelei got me out. She's going back to distract Bruno right now so she can free the others as well."

"Lorelei _helped_ you?" Amber spat.

"I know this is gonna be hard to believe, but she wants out of the Elite Four," he explained. "She told me before she helped me escape. She never wanted to hurt people, she just wanted to end the corruption of the governments and the Pokémon League. She even said she'd come and help us fight the rest of the Elite Four after she frees the others and goes home to cover her tracks."

"Are you sure?" Misty asked skeptically.

"Positive," Brock affirmed. "Why else would she free me? She's risking a lot by doing that."

"He's right," Sabrina agreed. "If the Elite Four found out she released one of their prisoners, they'd kill her."

"Why didn't she free the others then?" Misty asked. "Why only Brock?"

"Because Bruno would have found out," Brock explained. "She couldn't release us all at once, it'd be too obvious."

Amber and Misty looked at each other quizzically. Amber shook her head almost imperceptibly, and only Misty saw it.

"Okay, well that's good news then," Misty said to Brock. "If she's gonna help us then that gives us a massive advantage."

"The Pidgeot are waiting outside," Amber told him. "Get yourself back to Oak's place and rest up, alright?"

"You guys have to leave too," Brock added. "Bruno will leave the facility soon and when he does he'll be coming this way. If he sees you, Lorelei will be in trouble."

"It's okay," Misty said. "We studied a map of these tunnels. We know a few places we can hide along the way. If we wait for Bruno to leave first, we can help Lorelei out."

"As long as you guys think you can hide from him," Brock frowned. "If he sees you, this whole plan goes up in smoke."

"Don't worry about us, Brock," Misty smiled. "If Lorelei is switching sides, the least we can do is help her out."

"Okay then," Brock nodded. "I'll see you guys back at Oak's place."

He quickly took off towards the exit, and the others waited until he was out of earshot before speaking again.

"Brock wouldn't lie," Ash said finally, his arms folded across his chest.

"No, he wouldn't," Misty agreed. "That's what concerns me."

"You think –" Sabrina began to ask.

"– I do," Misty finished.

"We have to hurry," Amber urged them.

"Yeah, if we get there in time, I can still battle Bruno, even if Lorelei won't," Ash grinned. "Let's go, Charizard."

They marched onwards, following Charizard's light provided by the flame on his tail, until they came across the spot marked on the map they'd studied back at Oak's place. It was a section of rocky wall cleverly disguised as a cave-in, but was in actual fact a sliding door. It activated via a button located behind a loose rock in the wall next to it, and if they hadn't known the door was exactly there, they probably never would have found it.

The door slid open after Ash pushed the button, and light spilled out into the cave. Charizard took the rear while Ash and Amber headed in first, ready for anything.


	6. Unravelling the Elite Four

Ash stormed in confidently and angrily, not bothered by the guards at all. As soon as he saw them, Charizard used Flamethrower on them. He knew none of them would be expecting a Charizard, and he'd be able to quickly attack them without them having time to react. The guards ran out screaming one by one before Pikachu shocked them all unconscious, as Ash and the others went deeper into the facility. Eventually they arrived in a large chamber with several small corridors leading off of it, and standing in the centre were Bruno and Lorelei. They were talking to each other as the four of them entered, and didn't notice straight away. Eventually Lorelei turned around in shock, and saw them all standing there.

"Oh…I wasn't expecting that," Lorelei muttered.

"It's alright," Misty smirked. "Brock told us everything."

"Did we arrive too early?" Amber asked sarcastically. "We can come back in a few minutes if that's more convenient for you."

"Forget the plan, they already know," Bruno told Lorelei.

"You leave me no choice," she sighed irritably. "Lapras! Mist!"

She quickly released her Lapras, which sprayed a blinding mist of water into the air. When the mist cleared, both Bruno and Lorelei were gone.

"Dammit!" Misty yelled. "Ash! Let's go after them. You two, stay here and free the others, then run for it!"

"You got it," Amber nodded as she and Sabrina got to work freeing James, Meowth, Gary and Erika.

Misty and Ash bolted for the facility entrance, but stopped as they reached the main tunnel.

"I hear them! They're going left!" Ash said, turning to follow.

"Hold on, Ash," Misty grabbed him. "I hear someone going _this_ way."

"Let's split up," Ash suggested.

"Then I hope Bruno went right," Misty muttered.

"Go!" Ash yelled. "We're letting them get away!"

Misty ran to her right, heading towards the exit near Viridian City. She quickly ran out of light as Charizard's tail flame got too far away though, and had to release her Flareon. Flareon knew immediately that Misty was in a rush, and quickly ran off ahead of her, lighting the way with a small flame from her mouth. Before too long they both arrived outside the tunnel and were greeted by the dimming twilight sky.

"I'm sorry for running," Lorelei said.

Startled, Misty spun on her heels as she stopped, and saw Lorelei standing next to the tunnel entrance. She returned Flareon to her Pokéball.

"Sorry?" Misty panted. "Why?"

"I had to make it look good," she answered. "Bruno still thinks I'm on his side."

"And you're _not?_"

"You said you spoke to Brock. He must have told you."

"He did," Misty frowned. "But I think you're lying."

"Look, you don't believe me, I get that," Lorelei said, a little flustered. "Where are the other three?"

"Rescuing Erika and the others," Misty answered.

"Good. Then I'll go and plant a false trail on myself and meet you at Oak's ranch as soon as I can."

"No way, I'm going with you," Misty insisted.

"I can't let you do that, Misty," Lorelei shook her head. "It's too dangerous, and I can't risk anyone seeing me with you. They'll know I'm up to something."

"We'll fly. No one will see us."

"We'll have to land eventually."

"You're an Elite Four member. Who cares if someone sees you anyway?"

"They'll tell the others. I can't let them track me back to Oak's place. If they find out you're all there, they'll kill you all."

"You're planting a false trail, just tell the guards the same thing. How will anyone know?"

"Misty…"

Lorelei stepped closer to her and put her hands on her shoulders. She smiled warmly and gently squeezed.

"You're smart to be skeptical about me," she said softly. "I would be too, in your position. I haven't been the best person lately. I've done some awful things. But I know that now, and I'm making an effort to change it. I'm joining up with you guys to _stop_ the terrible things the Elite Four are doing."

"Then let me go with you," Misty said stubbornly. "Unless you have something to hide."

Lorelei's hands softly traced down Misty's arms, then her back as she pressed herself against her.

"There's definitely something I haven't told you," she whispered in Misty's ear. "But we don't have time for that now…there'll be plenty of time for that when we're all safely away from Bruno."

Misty held Lorelei's waist and pulled her close, then slid her hands down across her hips and grabbed her butt. Lorelei smiled sultrily and looked deep into Misty's eyes as Misty slowly inched closer. They were millimetres away from each other's faces when Misty grinned and stopped moving.

"You didn't really think you could seduce me too, did you?" she whispered, then winked at her.

Misty stepped back as Lorelei's face soured into an angry snarl.

"I get it," she said. "Brock was an easy target. Much easier than James, Meowth, Gary and Erika. None of them would have betrayed us willingly, or even broken under torture. But torture's not really your style anyway, is it?"

She grinned as Lorelei's face told her all she needed to know.

"Gary or Erika might be easy enough to seduce," she continued, "but they'd never betray us. But Brock…he's a sucker for a damsel in distress, isn't he? All you had to do was make yourself look like a victim, bat your long, pretty eyelashes at him, and he'd do whatever you want."

Lorelei balled her hands into fists. Misty grinned a little wider as she revelled in Lorelei's frustration.

"I used to worship you," she continued. "Right up until I saw you at Indigo Plateau. You were my hero, Lorelei. Now all I wanna do is kick your ass."

She grabbed Starmie's Pokéball and launched it into a nearby lake.

"Let's see how good you really are when you can't manipulate your way out," Misty smirked.

"You think you're pretty clever, Misty," Lorelei snarled. "You think you know me. You don't know _anything_. You have no idea how bad I'm gonna beat you right now."

"Less talk, more battle," Misty countered, her expression changing to deadly serious. "Show me you're as good as I remember."

* * *

Ash followed Charizard, frustrated at having to keep his pace down in order to prevent bashing himself into a wall. It didn't take long before the tunnel hollowed out into a reasonably large natural chamber, with lighting provided by burning lamps scattered around the walls. On the other side of the chamber stood Bruno, enormous, muscular and intimidating as he always was.

"Well, well," he said with a grin. "The wannabe Pokémon Master. This will be a good test for you."

"You captured my friends," Ash sneered. "You used Brock. You've hurt so many people and Pokémon, all for what? How could you do that? You're a member of the Elite Four!"

"You're a kid, you couldn't possibly understand," Bruno replied. "This world doesn't deserve role models like us anymore."

"You think you're a _role model?_" Ash laughed. "The minute you four morons decided to go against everything the Elite Four represents, you gave up the right to be anything more than criminals. You betrayed the whole world. You're _scum_ and you make me _sick_."

"Youthful exuberance," Bruno chuckled. "I wish I was young enough to believe as you do. You don't understand _half_ of what's really going on here."

"I hope I _never _understand people like you," Ash spat. "You think you can justify imprisonment, murder and conspiracy? You can believe whatever the hell you want, but you can _never_ justify killing _anyone_."

Ash took a Pokéball from his belt and held it at the ready.

"Then let this be a lesson to you," Bruno boomed. "I certainly hope you've improved since the last time we met, or this will be the world's shortest battle. Go, Steelix!"

Bruno activated a Pokéball, the enormous red flash becoming the biggest Steelix Ash had ever seen.

"I believe you remember this Steelix," Bruno grinned. "Last time we met, you failed to tame it in its pre-evolved form. I succeeded. You have no chance."

"Wartortle!" Ash shouted. "Show Bruno what we can do."

Bruno started laughing. "Even if you had a Blastoise, you _still_ would have failed. Look at it!"

He pointed, still laughing, at Ash's Wartortle, which had evolved from Squirtle while Misty was using his Pokémon during the Jessie League tournament. Wartortle wasn't amused, and let Ash know as much.

"You just worry about yourself," Ash snarled. "Size ain't everything. Wartortle! Ice Beam!"

Wartortle widened his stance and spewed forth a lightning-quick beam of water that froze on contact, striking Steelix about a third of the way along its body, near its head. Steelix shook itself, shattering the ice that had formed between its rocky segments.

"Spare me," Bruno grinned. "That level of attack will hardly even draw Steelix's attention."

"Again, Wartortle!" Ash yelled confidently. "More Ice Beam! Same spot!"

Wartortle got to work, freezing the same spot over and over, while Bruno's gigantic Steelix kept shaking itself free and shattering the ice. Bruno shook his head in disbelief.

"Producing the same attack again and again, expecting a different result is the definition of stupidity, kid," he laughed. "_This_ is what a _real_ attack looks like! Steelix! Slam!"

The gigantic Steelix lurched forward with surprising speed and slammed its head straight into the ground where Wartortle stood. Wartortle narrowly missed being squashed, only barely managing to dive to safety. Steelix came down again a split second later, and this time Wartortle only managed to withdraw into his shell as he was struck. Although it was only a glancing blow, it was enough to send Wartortle sailing into the chamber walls. Wartortle quickly poked his limbs and head out of the shell, dizzy and bruised, but still standing.

"Steelix! Iron Tail!" Bruno commanded, his powerful, booming voice echoing around the chamber.

Steelix's tail came whipping around at an incredible speed for such a large Pokémon, hitting Wartortle before he'd even had time to withdraw into his shell. Wartortle struck another chamber wall and took a little time to get back to his feet.

"C'mon, Wartortle!" Ash yelled. "This is _nothing!_ Show me some more Ice Beam!"

Wartortle nodded, and kept attacking the exact same spot on Steelix's body, hitting three more times consecutively.

"That's the way, buddy! Keep hitting that same spot!"

"Kid, with skills like yours, it's amazing you ever made it into a tournament at all," Bruno laughed. "You honestly think that pathetic attack is doing _anything_ to my Steelix?"

"Why don't you tell me?" Ash grinned.

"With pleasure," Bruno shouted. "Steelix! Rock Slide!"

Steelix tried to get into position, but as it moved, its rocky segments made a horrible grinding sound, and it collapsed onto the ground.

"What?!" Bruno cried out in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Steelix roared in pain, unable to get off the ground.

"So, do you think it worked?" Ash asked with a grin.

Bruno's expression changed to sheer anger as he growled in frustration, returning Steelix to its Pokéball.

"I've never seen anyone attack my Steelix in such a way," Bruno admitted.

"Not that it's any of your business," Ash said arrogantly, "but just because you can shake off an Ice Beam, doesn't mean the ice isn't cold."

Wartortle fell backwards, exhausted and too badly beaten to continue. The attacks it had suffered at the hands of Steelix were incredibly powerful, and Ash was actually surprised he was still standing after absorbing two of its attacks.

"Good job, Wartortle," he said as he returned him to his Pokéball as well. "I couldn't have asked for anything more."

"That was clever. But prove to me that it wasn't a fluke!" Bruno yelled. "Let's see you beat my Hitmonchan!"

Ash thought about it for a moment, then turned around.

"Charizard, it's your turn now."

Charizard roared in delight, staring down the Hitmonchan as he approached with heavy footsteps. He fired some flames into the air above him as he stood at the ready, waiting for Ash's command.

"Hitmonchan! Thunderpunch!"

"Charizard! Fly away!"

It was too late. Hitmonchan was so fast, Charizard never had a chance. The punch left Charizard sailing away straight back at Ash, sizzling with electrical burns. Charizard struggled to get back up at first, but his trademark determination set in and he quickly stood at the ready.

"Okay, that was _fast_," Ash admitted. "But speed won't save you against my buddy Charizard."

Charizard stomped his feet and fired another blast of fire into the air.

"Hitmonchan, Sky Uppercut!"

"Charizard, Sky Attack! Wait for the right moment!"

Charizard got away this time, and swooped down close to Hitmonchan a few times as he tried to execute the Sky Uppercut, but Charizard never quite got close enough. Ash was struggling to see an opening big enough in Hitmonchan's attacks, but Charizard could. He waited until Hitmonchan thought it had a sure hit, and put everything into the Sky Uppercut, but Charizard feinted again and flew around behind, then swooped down and struck Hitmonchan hard in the back. Hitmonchan tumbled away, taking the full force of the blow, but still got back up afterwards.

"Not bad, kid," Bruno growled. "But not good enough. Hitmonchan! Sky Uppercut!"

This time Hitmonchan's attack connected, and launched Charizard into the cavern roof at tremendous speed. He was hurt, and pretty badly. He bounced off the roof and fell to the ground, struggling in pain to get back to his feet.

"I don't care about your type advantages, kid," Bruno laughed. "Now you see what it's like to battle one of the Elite Four."

"I see it, and I'm not that impressed," Ash gritted his teeth. "And neither is Charizard!"

Charizard gathered his energy and flew up above Hitmonchan again, panting as he hovered, clearly in some pain.

"You'd hurt your own 'buddy' just to keep the battle alive?" Bruno chuckled. "You call yourself a trainer…"

"Calling _your_self a trainer hasn't stopped you from hurting Pokémon, so you've got no right to lecture me about anything!" Ash countered. "And besides, this match is _far_ from over. You haven't seen _shit_."

He nodded at Charizard, and Charizard nodded back. Bruno frowned at the gestures, not knowing what they meant, other than it would be unpredictable.

"Hitmonchan, ready another Sky Uppercut!"

Charizard divebombed Hitmonchan, but just as Hitmonchan was pulling back a fist in preparation, Charizard halted in mid-air and blasted out a Fire Spin attack. The flames quickly surrounded Hitmonchan, slowly closing in.

"Hitmonchan! Punch your way out!" Bruno yelled desperately.

Hitmonchan let a flurry of punches out at an incredible pace, but Charizard kept re-fuelling the Fire Spin, and Hitmonchan quickly wore itself out. The flames closed in further, scalding Hitmonchan, who screamed in agony.

"Jump!" Bruno shouted angrily. "Get outta there!"

Hitmonchan leapt as high as he could, leaping out the top of the flaming vortex, but Charizard was ready for it.

"Flamethrower!" Ash grinned.

Charizard's eye twinkled as he blasted out a powerful flamethrower attack, striking Hitmonchan dead-on and sending it tumbling back to the ground through the flaming hurricane. When the flames finally cleared, Hitmonchan was totally wiped out, not moving at all.

"You're starting to piss me off, kid," Bruno growled as he returned his Hitmonchan. "Time to get serious. Go, Machamp!"

"Not another Machamp," Ash grumbled. "Can't you people think of anything different to use?"

"If you think _my_ Machamp is anything like the Shadow Machamps our minions are using, you're badly mistaken," Bruno grinned.

"Then show me what you can do!" Ash grinned back. "Go, Pikachu!"

Bruno's eyes widened in disbelief. He blinked a couple of times, just to make sure he wasn't seeing things, as Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder and stood before the comparatively giant Machamp.

"You'd let that little pipsqueak battle my Machamp?" he mocked. "You're more irresponsible than I thought."

"You've seen what this little guy can do," Ash reminded him. "Tell me I'm irresponsible again, while you murder, lie and cheat your way into power."

"I will _not_ be lectured at by a _kid!_" he shouted angrily. "Machamp! Submission!"

"Pikachu, Agility!"

Pikachu ran literal circles around the Machamp, who stood dumbfounded as it tried in vain to grab him. Pikachu was far, far too fast, and Ash knew that his little friend was barely even trying.

"Underestimate Pikachu at your own peril, Bruno," Ash warned him. "Pikachu! Quick Attack!"

The little Pikachu ran all over the place, diving through Machamp's legs, running around its feet, before attacking it from behind, striking it in the back of the head. Machamp was knocked forwards, straight into the ground, and _hard_. Bruno stood perfectly still, not able to believe the power that Ash's little Pikachu possessed.

"Alright, Pikachu! Now keep up the Agility and hit it with a Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu kept running around like a tiny yellow blur as Machamp got back to its feet, still unable to keep track of him. Pikachu leapt up and grabbed a hold of Machamp's face, his cheeks sparking, and let loose a powerful Thunderbolt that took Machamp off his feet and sent it flying backwards, straight at Bruno, who managed to duck moments before Machamp struck the wall behind him.

The chamber began to rumble as rocks started to fall from the ceiling. Ash dived to his left as a huge boulder came crashing down above him.

"Pikachu!" he yelled, looking around the cavern for him.

Pikachu came running up towards him and leapt onto his shoulder again as Bruno made his escape. Pikachu pointed at the opposite wall, as Bruno ran through an opening and into the vast network of tunnels towards Indigo Plateau. Ash was about to follow him, but more and more rocks and boulders came crashing down from the ceiling, causing a massive cave-in.

"If we stay here, or try to follow him, we'll be killed for sure, Pikachu," Ash told him. "We have to get out of here, _now!_"

"Pi_ka_chu," Pikachu agreed.

Ash ran back towards Viridian City, releasing his battered Charizard to light the way. As they got further into the tunnel, passing the facility on their way, they stopped to catch their breath as the rocks stopped falling behind them.

"That was close," Ash panted.

Charizard was done. He collapsed onto the ground, too wiped out to take another step. Pikachu leapt down to check on him, asking if he was alright, but Charizard only let out a weak growl in response. Pikachu took the initiative, leaping up and pressing the activation button on Charizard's Pokéball, recalling him.

"Thanks, buddy," Ash said to him. "Charizard deserves a long, long rest. He battled fiercely."

"Chu," Pikachu agreed.

"So did you, for that matter," Ash smiled. "You know you almost beat Bruno's Machamp? Probably one of the toughest Machamps _ever_, and you would've won if he hadn't run away."

Pikachu's ears perked up as he realised he actually _had_ almost won that battle, and fairly easily.

"Maybe they're not as tough as they think they are," Ash wondered. "Then again, Charizard and Wartortle only took a few hits each and they'd pretty much had it."

Pikachu pulled on Ash's shirt sleeve, but in the darkness of the tunnel Ash couldn't see what he was pointing at.

"_Pi_ka," he said.

"Light?" Ash asked. "We must be close to the exit. Come on, let's hurry. Misty might need our help."

* * *

Lorelei released her Jynx, which stood on the edge of the lake, ready for battle. Misty's Starmie floated nearby, expressionless as always. The two women stood facing each other, their expressions equal parts determination and anger. It took a few moments for either of them to make a move.

"Jynx!" Lorelei finally yelled. "Ice Beam! Freeze that lake!"

Jynx got to work even as Lorelei's command was still being uttered. The lake slowly froze from end to end as Jynx's powerful Ice Beam attack made short work of it. Starmie leapt into the air to avoid being trapped under ice, but was hit with the very same Ice Beam attack as it rose. Launched backwards, Starmie quickly froze over and slid across the frozen lake all the way to the other side. Misty tried to recall it, but it was too far.

"Now use Psychic!"

"Starmie! Counter it with your own Psychic!"

Lorelei laughed boisterously.

"Your Starmie is frozen. What do you think that's going to achieve?"

Misty stayed silent, a small grin forming at one corner of her mouth. As Jynx's surprisingly powerful Psychic waves shot forward and blasted the frozen Starmie, a strange ringing sound began to echo around the mountain walls, and a split second later Starmie's icy prison was shattered.

"What?!" Lorelei spat. "What just happened?"

Misty didn't bother answering, she just continued with the match.

"Starmie! Hit it with a Signal Beam!"

Starmie leapt into the air and began to spin. A green glow started forming at its central jewel, before projecting forwards at incredible speed, blasting the surprised Jynx. Jynx was launched backwards, digging a trench in the ground. It got up again a moment later, dazed, and shook itself off.

"Thunderbolt!" Misty yelled.

Starmie leapt into the air and started spinning again, charging a Thunderbolt attack. Lorelei was smart though, and ordered Jynx to attack while Starmie was busy charging up.

"Jynx, use Blizzard!"

Starmie was caught off-guard, but still managed to get the Thunderbolt attack out before it was struck. Starmie was pounded ferociously by the Blizzard, and was knocked out cold straight away. Jynx was also hurt by the Thunderbolt attack, and was having trouble moving. The force of the attack knocked it onto its back straight into the ground, and it was partially paralysed as a result.

"Starmie, return!" Misty shouted.

_That's one hell of a strong Jynx, _Misty thought. _If all her Pokémon are as strong as that, I'm in big trouble._

She pondered for a moment, then grabbed another Pokéball.

"Go, Kingdra! I choose you!"

She aimed the Pokéball at the lake, and Kingdra appeared on top of the ice.

"Use Scald!" she yelled. "Melt that ice!"

As Kingdra set about melting all the ice, making very quick work of it, Jynx was still struggling to move, and looked distressed. Lorelei's face scrunched up as she decided what to do, eventually biting the bullet.

"Jynx, return!" she commanded, zapping it with its Pokéball. "Go Dewgong!"

Dewgong splashed into the lake, a fierce look in its eyes. Misty knew that Dewgong normally had a playful look about them, even when being serious.

_So this Dewgong must be pretty intense._

She decided not to wait around to find out.

"Kingdra, use Dragon Dance!"

Kingdra began swimming around, flapping her fins and leaping in and out of the water as she darted in all directions, in a strangely artful and frantic dance. Lorelei wasn't going to give her any time to prepare though, and got to work straight away.

"Dewgong, Ice Beam!"

Dewgong launched a very powerful Ice Beam attack from its horn, shooting forward at such a pace that Misty thought Kingdra might just be done for.

_Dragons are weak against Ice, after all…even if water Pokémon aren't._

The Ice Beam struck something and started freezing up, and Misty thought she'd made a horrible mistake, but Kingdra was nowhere to be found. She realised then that Dragon Dance had actually been a stroke of genius when she spotted Kingdra's shadow lurking just behind Dewgong.

"Kingdra, Outrage!"

Kingdra dived down, appearing a few seconds later directly below Dewgong and launching it into the air. Kingdra quickly swam around in a circle and charged at Dewgong again, leaping out of the water to hit it before it had landed. Dewgong was launched across the lake, actually skipping on the surface.

"No! Dewgong!" Lorelei screeched.

She was forced to watch as Kingdra pummelled Dewgong, striking it again and again in a fit of rage until she was too tired to continue. Dewgong was utterly beaten, savaged by Kingdra's brutal Outrage attack. Lorelei stood and stared, her jaw dropped in shock.

"I've never seen my Dewgong take such a beating," she said. "Your Kingdra is incredible."

"We've been friends a long time," Misty told her. "She was a weak, small and frightened Horsea when I first met her at Porta Vista. Now look at her. She's come a long way. Which makes me hate you even more for what you're doing…what you plan to do."

Lorelei popped a hip and smirked at her.

"The strong always find a way to succeed," she said. "Our plans won't change that."

"Kingdra became strong because _we trained_ to get strong," Misty shouted angrily. "How are people and Pokémon supposed to train together to get strong if you take them all and use some machine on them? How do you think that will affect the balance of nature if all the Squirtles become Blastoises? If all the Tentacools become Tentacruels? There won't _be_ any trainers anymore. There won't _be_ any Pokémon left for them to _train_."

"And in their place will stand the strongest, the best, revered by all and questioned by none," Lorelei grinned. "If you weren't so dogmatic and idealistic, you might even be strong enough to be one of us. But deep down, you're just a pathetic little child. A small girl, with no concept of the bigger picture."

"The bigger picture?!" Misty raged. "How dare you lecture me about the 'bigger picture' while you take away every trainer's chance to be the best. And you call yourself _strong_? Is eliminating all possibility of any competition something a strong trainer would do? The only pathetic little child here is _you_, Lorelei. You're a petulant, selfish brat, and it's about time you were taken down. No more messing around!"

Lorelei grinned wickedly as she returned her battered Dewgong.

"Show me," she taunted Misty.

Misty gritted her teeth, veins popping out of her head as she barely contained her rage. She grabbed Kingdra's Pokéball and returned her, then grabbed her most dangerous Pokémon and without hesitation, hurled the Pokéball into the lake.

"I'll do more than show you," Misty growled fiercely. "I'm gonna make you pay. I'll make you _hurt_ for what you've done. You call yourself a water Pokémon trainer?! It's time to show you what a _real_ water trainer can do!"

Gyarados roared, feeding off of Misty's rage, sensing its trainer's desire to utterly destroy Lorelei. Lorelei actually flinched a little – she was expecting a little Seaking or something like that. She held her nerve after that, and tossed her third Pokéball into the lake.

"Cloyster, Icicle Spear!"

Cloyster shot what seemed like thousands of little shards of ice at Gyarados, but they failed to make much of an impact. Gyarados' hardened scales prevented any of the shards from getting through.

"That's no good, Cloyster!" Lorelei yelled. "Try Giga Impact!"

_None of Cloyster's spike attacks will penetrate Gyarados' scales, _Misty realised. _She's going all out._

Cloyster charged at Gyarados, striking near its head and causing it to stumble, but the effort took a lot out of it, and it crashed back down to the lake. Gyarados recovered fairly easily, seemingly relatively unhurt.

"Alright Gyarados, Thunder attack!"

Gyarados opened its jaws up, and sparks began to form in its mouth. It angled its head towards the sky and shot an electrically charged beam straight upwards. A split second later the sky erupted, and an enormous lightning bolt struck down at Cloyster, instantly knocking it unconscious. Gyarados roared in delight, splashing down on the lake with its powerful tail fins.

Lorelei cursed and grunted as she returned Cloyster, instantly releasing her Slowking to replace it.

"One hit..." she grunted under her breath. "It beat my Cloyster in _just one hit_."

Misty's face remained bright red with anger, and Gyarados was still keen to crack some heads. Lorelei gritted her teeth and grabbed another Pokéball, knowing either one would be vulnerable to Gyarados' electric attacks.

"You taught your Gyarados Thunder, very good," she admitted.

"Save your praise," Misty spat. "I don't need your ratification. I need you to release another Pokémon."

"With pleasure," Lorelei grinned. "Go, Lapras, Ice Beam that lake!"

Lapras was zapped out into the lake, and began to use Ice Beam even before it had fully formed. The lake quickly froze over again, trapping Gyarados in place, completely preventing it from moving.

"A good trainer would have seen that one coming," Lorelei mocked.

"A _good_ trainer would know that Gyarados can use fire-type attacks," Misty countered. "Gyarados, Flamethrower! Boil that lake!"

Lorelei's face turned sour, and she realised immediately that she'd been outplayed yet again. She was now staring down the face of her first defeat in many, many years. She knew her old friend Lapras wouldn't have a chance against Misty's tactic.

_Lapras can't move on land, they have to stay in the water to be effective,_ Misty smiled to herself. _It's got nowhere to go._

Gyarados' Flamethrower quickly melted the lake's frozen surface, and kept blasting it for a while afterwards, superheating the water and turning it into a giant kettle. Gyarados was fine, as it could handle high temperatures without any problems, but Lapras began to scream and cry as it tried in vain to beach itself just to get away from the near-boiling water.

"That's enough, Gyarados," Misty ordered. "Lorelei, recall your Lapras, _now_."

Lorelei fretted, looking panicked as she watched her old friend scream in pain. Lapras looked straight at Lorelei as it cried, wondering why she wouldn't help her.

"Recall your Lapras, Lorelei!" Misty screamed at her.

Lorelei turned to look at Misty, and looked torn between decisions, but still refused to act. Lapras was splashing madly, trying desperately to get out of the water, but couldn't. Gyarados leaned down and nudged Lapras, pushing it to safety at the water's edge. Misty stomped her way over to Lorelei, who fell to her knees as she watched Lapras cry. Misty stood in front of her, totally enraged, her chest heaving. She stared down at her for a few moments as Lorelei continued to look out towards the lake at her wounded Lapras.

Misty stepped up to her and slapped her hard in the face, knocking her to the ground. Lorelei didn't bother to get back up, so she grabbed her by the throat and lifted her back up to a sitting position, then slapped her again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Misty screeched. "Do you even care if your oldest friend gets hurt?"

Lorelei said nothing; she just lay on the grass and stared out at Lapras. Misty reached out her hand to her.

"Give me your Pokéballs," she demanded.

Lorelei handed them over without hesitation, but still didn't look at Misty. Misty ran over to Lapras and tried to comfort it. Lapras was incredibly distressed, and didn't want to listen to anyone.

"It's okay, Lapras," Misty said in her most soothing voice. "Lorelei is going through a tough time right now, she didn't mean to leave you out there."

Lapras turned its head away. It wasn't having any of that.

"Don't worry, she won't be looking after any Pokémon for a while now. I'll make sure of it."

Lapras started to cry again, and Misty gently stroked its head.

"Shh…it's okay, I promise. You're okay now. I'll look after you. I can take you to Professor Oak's place to get better. There's a Nurse Joy there and everything, and some nice, cool lakes for you to swim in. And lots of friends to make. How does that sound?"

Lapras was reluctant to leave with anyone other than Lorelei, but eventually nodded after seeing that Lorelei still hadn't moved, and probably wasn't going to help.

"I've gotta return you to your Pokéball now, okay? But first chance I get, I'll let you out into a nice lake. I promise it won't be long, okay?"

Lapras nodded again, and let Misty return it to its Pokéball, then Misty stomped back over to Lorelei. She noticed Ash and the others coming out of the tunnel.

"You're coming with me," she growled at her.

Ash quickly released his Bulbasaur and ordered him to tie Lorelei up while Misty contacted HQ.

"HQ, can you hear me?" she said.

"_Go ahead, Misty,"_ one of the Jennies responded.

"We've freed the others, and we've got Lorelei. We're coming back now. Call in the Pallet Pidgeots."

"_No problem, they shouldn't be too far away."_

"Be ready when we arrive, we have some bad news."

When the Pidgeots arrived, all eight of them mounted up, and Bulbasaur took Lorelei with him on the last Pidgeot. They quickly took off into the evening sky, heading south back to Pallet Town.

"Bruno knows about Oak's place," Misty said to Ash over the rushing wind.

"I know," Ash confirmed. "They won't attack straight away, we should go back and rest up, let our Pokémon recover, then come up with a plan."

"We can't stay there, the Elite Four will send an army of Rockets down to kill us all."

Ash shook his head.

"There's too many Pokémon to evacuate. I don't see how we could do it."

"And where would we go?" Gary asked. "Rocket United have the whole world under their control. Even if we _could_ pack up all the Pokémon, there's nowhere to go."

"We can worry about that later," Ash said. "For now, let's just go home and get some rest."

"I don't think it's wise to take too long," James countered. "They'll know they have a limited amount of time before we escape. They'll do something big, and they'll do it soon."

"Jimmy's right," Meowth agreed. "If I was in charge, I'd say attack as soon as possible before Team _Twoip_ gets away."

"It'll take Bruno about a day to reach Indigo Plateau through Victory Road," Sabrina told them. "Maybe even longer, since most of his Pokémon are injured. We have a short amount of time. I agree with Ash, we should rest up first, make sure our Pokémon are healed up, then worry about what to do in the morning."

"I think there's something else we need to talk about too," Gary added. "Like how Ash and Misty beat Bruno and Lorelei."

"That's a good point," James agreed. "Maybe they're not as powerful as we thought?"

"I think that's more a measure of how far Ash and Misty have come, rather than an indication of the Elite Four's vulnerability," Erika disagreed. "They're still incredibly powerful trainers."

"She's right," Misty agreed. "I don't know about you, Ash, but my Starmie was beaten pretty easily. If it hadn't gotten lucky with a Thunderbolt attack that paralysed her Jynx, I might have done a lot worse. Her Pokémon are frighteningly strong."

"Yeah same thing happened with me," Ash nodded. "Wartortle and Charizard both won against his Steelix and Hitmonchan, but they were both wiped out afterwards. In a League match, we would have both been two Pokémon down. And that was _with_ type advantages."

"There's a reason they're called the 'Elite Four'," Gary said. "But to even compete against Lorelei and Bruno, you guys have done incredibly well. I certainly couldn't battle against those two, as much as I hate to admit it. But just remember, that's only _half_ the Elite Four. There's still Agatha and Lance, and I know for a fact that Lance is a fair bit tougher than any of them. You're right to be concerned."

"We need more time to train," Ash sighed. "If we just had another month –"

"– We don't," Misty snapped. "We'll have to make do with what we've got."

"That machine will be rebuilt soon," Sabrina agreed. "We don't have any more time."

"We got lucky when we trained before," Erika added. "If we'd known they were building a terrible new machine, I doubt we would have trained all that time."

"Maybe that's it then," Misty thought out loud. "We go back to Saffron."

"And destroy the machine…" Ash finished for her.

"Let's just leave it for tonight, okay?" Gary suggested. "We need to speak to CJ and my Grandpa first before we decide on anything."

"And we need to decide what to do with _her_," Meowth added, pointing at Lorelei.

Lorelei still hadn't moved. Bulbasaur held her in place with his vines as they flew onwards to Pallet Town. The trip was only short, at Pidgeot speeds, and they were more than halfway there already. The Pidgeots began their long descent as the evening sky darkened into night, the purple haze on the horizon slowly giving way to pitch black.


	7. Brock Slide

"They know we're here," Sabrina told CJ as she entered Oak's lab ahead of the others.

"But that's impossible," Brock argued. "I only told Lorelei, and she's here."

"Yes, she's here, even though she said she had to go and cover her tracks first," Sabrina replied sternly. "Funny, that."

"That was fast," Brock said ignorantly.

"You don't get it, do you?" Sabrina snapped. "You were played. You were tricked. _She lied to you_."

"That's impossible…she was telling me the truth, I swear!"

Sabrina telekinetically shoved him into a wall, storming up to him and getting right in his face.

"You're pathetic," she seethed. "You'd betray us all, risk the future of this whole world, all for a chance to sleep with her."

"But she couldn't have…it's not possible…"

"_Silence!_" Sabrina shouted, shoving him into the wall again and lifting him off his feet. "You keep saying it's impossible. I'm _telling you_, it _is _possible. It happened. That's all there is to it. You're a disgrace, Brock. For all of your good-boy, help the helpless, save the damsel in distress crap, all you've managed to do is put this entire operation in jeopardy."

"I'm sorry…I thought…" Brock started, but was interrupted by Sabrina slamming him into the wall a little higher.

"Well _stop_," she said through gritted teeth. "Just stop."

"That's enough," CJ warned her. "Put him down."

Sabrina snarled at him, then turned and walked off. Brock dropped to the floor a second later, looking down at the ground.

"I really screwed up bad," he admitted. "I'm sorry, guys, I thought I was doing the right thing."

"Don't blame yourself," Erika told him. "Blame Lorelei. She's the one who used you."

"I promise I'll make it up to you all," Brock told them.

"You can start by helping Nurse Joy with the injured Pokémon," Gary told him. "It'll be therapeutic for you."

Brock nodded and got to his feet.

"You're right," he agreed. "It might make me feel useful again."

Amber, Misty, Ash, James and Meowth entered as Brock was leaving, not bothering to acknowledge him as they passed.

"So fill us in," CJ said to them. "How bad is it?"

"Lorelei told Bruno just before we got there," Ash began. "I battled him, but he escaped into the tunnels as they were collapsing. It'll take him a while, but he'll be at Indigo Plateau by about this time tomorrow."

"That gives us a bit over a day to prepare," Oak noted, wearing his serious face. "We have to start packing everything up now, it'll take us most of the day tomorrow to move everything to a new location."

"Actually, Misty came up with a good idea on the way back here," Gary said. "It'd be too difficult to take everything we need from here and move it to somewhere else, and even if we did, we'd have to leave a lot of stuff behind. And what about the Pokémon? We can't just leave them here, and we can't take them with us."

"If we distract them with an attack, they'll be too busy fending us off to worry about this place," James continued. "It'll save us from having to move everything, and we'll do some damage at the same time."

"But they'll still eventually attack here," CJ countered. "We can't distract them forever."

"A few of us should stay here in case they do, but they'll have to send too many troops to stop our attack," James explained. "They won't have enough left to invade here."

"What about _after_ the attack though," Oak asked. "They _will_ eventually come here, they'd be crazy not to. They can throw troops at us all day, we can only hold out for so long, even with everyone here."

"Then our attack needs to be more than just wanton destruction," Erika suggested. "We need to have a goal in mind…we need a proper objective."

"We need a way to reverse the effects of the Shadow Pokémon machine, as well as preventing them from ever building another one," Gary added.

"Then we need to capture the Silph scientists responsible for it and bring them here," CJ said, "as well as destroying their servers and backups."

"We can't destroy _everything_," Erika pleaded. "Silph do a lot of good work too, we'd be ruining the whole company."

"We have a copy of all their files here," CJ told her. "Ritchie got it all when he hacked into their systems."

"Then we send one group to find the scientists, and two groups to torch the building," Amber suggested.

"But we'll kill everyone inside!" Erika cried. "Not everyone in Silph is a Rocket grunt."

"We can't save everyone, but they _do_ have emergency evacuation procedures," Amber calmed her. "We'll burn it from the top down, to give everyone a chance to escape first."

"Then I want to be a part of the rescue team," Erika demanded. "I can't feel responsible for a whole building full of innocent Silph employees."

"You don't have any fire Pokémon anyway," Gary grinned.

"Oh…right," Erika blushed with embarrassment.

"What do you think, Misty?" CJ asked.

Misty hadn't said a word so far. She'd been distant, and seemed on the surface to be almost uninterested. She'd been staring at the floor, but looked up at CJ now.

"I wanna fry that machine," she said flatly.

"I suppose you have your Flareon," CJ thought out loud.

"It wasn't a request," Misty replied sternly.

Gary interrupted as CJ was about to say something, sensing that if they kept going it would result in a massive argument.

"Well only four of us actually have fire Pokémon," he deduced, "so it'll have to be Ash, Misty, Amber and myself that light the place up. We'll need two to stay behind in case Rocket United attack here, and one more for the rescue team."

"I think Meowth and I will stay behind," James offered. "Sabrina's skills will be far more useful out there than back here. We can stay behind with Brock. Besides, I'm sure Professor Oak will be happy to have a chance to study a talking Meowth."

"I hadn't thought about that," Oak admitted. "That's a wonderful idea! I can even use the opportunity to translate some of what the other Pokémon are saying! Think of how much I could learn!"

"Hey! I never agreed to –" Meowth started, but was gagged by James.

"Then it's settled!" he interrupted.

"Yes," CJ agreed. "Amber, Misty, Ash and Gary will enter first, burning the building as they go. Ash and Gary, you start at the server room. Misty and Amber, you start with the machine prototype. Contact the others as you go. Erika and Sabrina, when you hear from them, start evacuating the scientists."

"Which floors do we go to?" Ash asked. "How do we get in?"

"Ritchie's analysis of the building shows that the server room is on level twelve," CJ answered. "The new prototype appears to be on level fifteen. Burn the whole building a floor at a time until you get to level fifteen, then wait for Misty and Amber's signal when they get to level twelve. Erika and Sabrina, you'll need to go undercover as Silph employees. Do what you have to do in order to get to the scientists. We believe they'll be on level seven."

"How do we escape?" Erika asked worriedly. "We can't evacuate with the rest of the employees, we'll be caught for sure."

"There's a balcony on level six," CJ told her. "You'll need to call the Pidgeot to wait for you there."

"And then what? Jump?" Erika asked. "That's awfully risky."

"It's the only way," CJ shrugged.

"Is everyone clear on their parts?" Oak asked.

Everyone nodded, some more enthusiastically than others.

"Good," he smiled. "Then get some rest, everyone. Ash, Misty, you two stay here for a moment."

Sabrina, Erika, Amber, James, Gary and Meowth all left the room as Oak and CJ approached Ash and Misty.

"Congratulations on your battles with Bruno and Lorelei," Oak said to them. "You both did exceptionally well."

"Not me," Ash grumbled. "Bruno got away."

"Maybe," CJ smiled, "but he won't be happy about it. You've shown that they can be beaten. This'll make them reassess their plans."

"Yes," Oak nodded in agreement. "They presumed that they were completely invulnerable. Now that they know there're trainers here that oppose them and can potentially beat them, they'll be a lot less aggressive."

"If we succeed in destroying their machine, the plans _and_ any chance of rebuilding it, they're gonna be vulnerable," CJ added. "You may have turned the tide in this war."

"It's not over until they're finished for good," Misty shook her head. "When Rocket United are routed, and the Elite Four are dead or locked up, _then_ I might start being optimistic about all this."

"I know you went through an ordeal in Cerulean City," Oak said to her. "But you really ought to give yourself a bit of a break. Torturing yourself won't help end this."

"What I went through is _nothing_ compared to what my sisters and my Pokémon went through," Misty snapped. "I'm responsible for their suffering. It's not just my duty, it's my _obligation_ to see this through to the end."

"We'll beat them, Mist," Ash said enthusiastically. "We'll make them pay for everything they've done and everyone they've hurt. But we have to focus on this one step at a time. Your battle with Lorelei got us another step closer to winning this thing. And it's _Lorelei._ One of the _Elite Four_. You know how many trainers have beaten the Elite Four before?"

CJ, Oak and Misty all waited for him to answer.

"I don't know either, but it can't be many," he shrugged. "Remember when we met her years ago in the Orange Islands? She was awesome. I never could have pictured any of us ever beating her after she kicked my ass with her Cloyster. But you _did_."

"I know what I did, Ash," Misty snapped again. "I know how impressive beating Lorelei is. That isn't the damn point!"

"Then why can't you just be a little, tiny bit happy about taking out one of our most dangerous enemies?" Ash asked, frustrated at her.

"Because it took _everything_ to beat her," she yelled. "And there are still three of them left! Not to mention all of Rocket United. I can't let myself get too comfortable with this. I can't lose sight of my objective. They _all_ have to be beaten, and they _all_ have to pay."

With that, she stormed off, leaving Ash bewildered. He turned to Oak and CJ with his palms upwards in a 'what did I do?' gesture.

"Don't worry about her," Oak said in his friendlier voice. "What she went through really hurt her, Ash. She needs time to sort this out. This is just her way of dealing with it. She'll come around."

"It's like I don't even know her anymore, Professor," Ash whined. "We used to be best friends."

"And how many times have you seen her since she went back to Cerulean City?" Oak asked him with one eyebrow raised.

"Umm…well…I mean, I would have, but –"

"You're both eighteen years old now, Ash. You were ten when you first met her," Oak told him. "A lot can change in eight years, especially at this time in your young lives. And anyway, I don't think she's changed at all. Not in the way _you_ seem to think, anyway."

"How's that?" Ash asked in puzzlement.

"She's dealing with a serious matter in which her Pokémon, family and close friends have been hurt, and she's become fierce, determined and utterly focused to the point of being dangerous. Sound familiar?"

Ash scrunched his face up.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…she's always been like that."

"Don't worry about Misty," he smiled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "She's quite aware of how well you both did in beating Lorelei and Bruno, she just knows there's still a lot of work to do before she can truly relax. When this is all over, I'm sure she'll quickly change back into the fiery, sarcastic sweetheart we all know and love."

Ash smiled with hope. "Yeah, you're right, Professor. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he smiled back. "Just do yourself a favour and don't get her too riled up until then. You're likely to get injured."

"No kidding," he laughed nervously as he went to join the others at the guest house.

* * *

After they'd eaten and showered, all nine of them sat around in the sitting room or the front porch of the guest house with a few drinks, celebrating and relaxing. Sabrina, Erika, Gary and Ash were in the sitting room laughing and telling funny stories from years gone by – mostly about the stupid things Ash had done, of which Gary had _a lot_.

Amber, Misty, James, Meowth and Brock were outside on the porch, and the mood was a lot more sombre. There was a tension between Misty, Amber and Brock that no one had addressed yet, but was obvious to James and Meowth.

"Where's Lorelei?" Brock asked, which made the tension even stronger.

"Drop it, Brock," Amber warned him. "She's with Saffron Jenny and Nurse Joy, and her Pokémon have been confiscated. She can't do anything. And don't even _think_ about going to her."

"I can't believe you don't trust me," he replied angrily. "As if I would do anything."

"I said _drop it_," Amber growled. "You've done enough for one day."

"I was captured," he spat back at her. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"We rescued you," she fired back. "Along with Erika, Gary, James and Meowth."

"And we're eternally grateful," Meowth added.

"It's no problem," Amber said to him. "I just wish Brock would settle down and take a step back."

"Brock's a great guy," Misty said, "but when it comes to women, he's blind as a Zubat."

"That's _not_ true," he snarled. "I'm not a teenager anymore, Misty. I thought Lorelei was changing her ways. How was I supposed to know?"

"Then explain why she didn't make the same offer to anyone else?" Amber countered aggressively.

"Maybe she just likes me more than any of the others."

"This is what I'm talking about!" she yelled. "You just can't help yourself!"

"What would you know?" Brock argued. "You've been with us for five minutes and you think you know me?"

"It's not hard, Brock," Misty said relatively softly, stepping towards him.

She stood right up close to him, practically breathing on him. She glanced down at his lips, then up at his eyes again. She stood up on her toes and began to whisper in his ear.

"Any pretty girl could have you," she whispered, grabbing his shirt collar with both hands. "Just put on some nice clothes, talk to you the right way…"

She let go of his collar and wrapped her arms gently around his neck, gently breathing on his neck and face as she made her way back around. She was millimetres from his lips, and glanced down at them again as she felt him putting his hands on her waist.

"I just told you how easy you are to manipulate, and you _still_ can't help yourself," she whispered.

He instantly let go of her as Meowth and James started laughing at him. She stepped back towards Amber, who had her arms folded across her chest and a frown on her face.

"I have to say, Brock," James commented, "even I know you're a sucker for a pretty girl. You're not doing yourself any favours here."

"You've known Misty for eight years," Amber spat. "She's one of your closest friends, and you were about to kiss her, weren't you?"

"But –" he started to say.

"But nothing, Brock," Amber yelled. "She didn't even say anything nice to you. All she did was look pretty and grab you, and you were instantly hers. You still think you're not easy?"

Brock looked down at the ground as the reality finally hit him. He looked totally defeated.

"Brock," Meowth said to him in an oddly sincere voice. "They're not just tryin' to make a fool out of ya. They're tryin' to help ya. Ya didn't even know that about yourself, did ya?"

"I like girls, I knew that," he answered.

"And now ya know something new. You're a sucker. It's nothin' to be ashamed of, but it's easy to play with if you're a bad guy. We'd have done it all the time back in our Team Rocket days if Jessie wasn't such a bitch."

"And so wrinkly," James added.

"Yeah, that's true," Meowth agreed with a nod. "She certainly aged a lot faster than either of us."

"Is that true, Misty?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, she definitely looked at least five, maybe ten years older than she really was," Misty agreed.

"No, I mean about trying to help me," he clarified.

"Well, yeah," she told him. "I certainly wasn't trying to hook up with you. Not that there's anything wrong with you, but we're friends. I was just trying to show you how easy it is for a girl to manipulate you."

Brock looked down at the ground again, clearly embarrassed.

"I had no idea…I really didn't know I came across as being that desperate."

"Brock, that's not what I was trying to say at all," Misty replied, but it was too late. Brock was already walking off towards the lab.

"Brock, wait!" she yelled, chasing after him. "Brock!"

"Misty, let him go," Amber called after her. "He needs time to think this over."

Misty sighed loudly. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

They sat back down and continued sipping their drinks, but the mood was awkward now.

"Well that didn't go so well," James interrupted the silence, stating the obvious.

"I wanna know somethin'," Meowth said, quickly changing the subject.

"What's that?" Misty asked.

"You beat Lorelei, right? Be honest here, ya think we have any real chance of pullin' this off?"

Misty sighed again, and everyone turned to look at her, keen to hear the response. She had another sip of her drink while she thought about how to answer.

"I think we've come a long way," she started, pausing to collect her thoughts some more.

"…but you don't think we can win, do you?" James finished for her.

"I didn't say that," Misty shook her head. "I think it's gonna take everything we have, and a few mistakes on their part, for us to have much of a chance."

She slammed down the last half of her beer, then put the bottle down on the ground.

"Look," she said. "If everything goes right, and they stay somewhere near as arrogant as they have been so far, I think we can win. But Lorelei and Bruno aren't the two strongest trainers in the Elite Four, and now that they've both been beaten and Lorelei's captured, they'll be a lot more cautious. That gives _them_ the advantage, not us."

"Even though we're probably a match for them?" Amber asked.

"We're a match for Lorelei and Bruno, I don't think we can take Agatha or Lance. Not yet. And now that they know how good we are, they won't be so quick to engage us in another Pokémon battle. Battles have rules, and it's a lot easier for them to win if they don't play by the rules."

"There's nothing that says _we_ have to play by the rules either," James noted.

"When it comes to not playin' by da rules, Jimmy and I are ya best pals," Meowth grinned.

"Oh, I'm counting on that," Misty grinned.

"Then you have a plan?" Amber asked.

Misty shook her head.

"Not yet. We need to take care of Silph first and see if they can reverse the effects of the Shadow Pokémon machine. After that, it'll be easier to see what we need to do."

"We're gonna have to keep attackin' 'em after that too," Meowth added. "Lorelei and Bruno losin' to you guys, and her bein' captured probably won't go down so good. After you burn down Silph Co, they're gonna hate ya even more. The moment we stop givin' 'em somethin' to focus on, they're gonna torch this place."

"You're right," Amber agreed. "No doubt Bruno will tell Agatha and Lance about our location as soon as he meets up with them. Gary's right too, we can't realistically move all the Pokémon _and_ all of the Professor's equipment to a new place. We're stuck here."

"Not if we take back the town," James said.

The others looked at him, not so much in surprise but in realisation.

"It's not a big place, Pallet Town," he elaborated. "There can't be _that_ many of their grunts here. We've got the Pallet Pidgeys too. They're pretty tough, they could help us keep Rocket United out."

"That's a good point, James," Misty nodded.

"See? I'm not just a pretty face," he grinned.

"I dunno about pretty," Meowth quipped, "but that might just be one of the smartest things you've ever come up with."

"It makes sense," Amber agreed. "If we keep a couple of us here to keep watch over the town, we'll have all the Pallet Pidgeys as well as the huge amount of Pokémon Professor Oak has stored on the ranch at our disposal."

"Plus there's all the trainers we rescued from Cerulean City, I'm sure they'll be glad to help us out, and there's my sisters too. They're gym leaders," Misty added.

"I like it," Amber smiled. "This might just work. If we can hold Pallet Town, it'll be much more difficult for them to attack us here. We can stay relatively safe."

"Well let's just worry about torching the Silph building first, then we can worry about all that," Misty said as she stood up, grabbing her empty bottle on the way. "Anyone need a refill?" she asked, shaking her bottle.

Amber drink the last of her beer as well, then handed the bottle to Misty.

"Thanks, babe," she smiled.

"What about you two?" Misty asked James and Meowth.

"I'm not sure Pokémon are really supposed to drink alcohol," Meowth laughed. "But I'm startin' to wonder why I never tried it before."

"I think he means he'll have one more, then he's going to take it easy," James answered.

Misty smiled as she grabbed their empties and went inside to fetch more. James and Meowth sat back in their chairs, smiling as they relaxed back.

"I don't know that I've ever been this happy before," James smiled.

"Yeah," Meowth agreed. "It's strange havin' so many people around that are nice to me."

"Even with all the crazy stuff happening in the world at the moment, for the first time ever, I actually feel like I'm home, like I belong somewhere," James agreed.

Amber smiled at them as Misty came back through the door and handed them all another drink.

"You guys have never really had friends before, have you?" Amber noted. "Well this is what it's like. Welcome home."

James and Meowth smiled at each other, then clinked their bottles before taking a sip.

"So much nicer than Jessie," James grinned.


	8. Return to Saffron

Gary, Misty, Ash and Amber were all equally surprised when nobody noticed them on their flight to Saffron City. They all thought for sure that they'd be watching the skies as well as the ground after their last visit, but no one spotted them. They landed on the roof of the Silph Co building and asked the Pidgeots to stay on the roof until they were called on again soon, leaving Erika and Sabrina to enter through the front doors disguised as Silph office workers.

"Remember, the top two floors all have structural damage thanks to your adventures with Charizard last time," Gary warned them. "It's not safe to be walking around up here. Be careful."

"Get your fire Pokémon out, everyone," Amber ordered.

Misty released her Flareon, a new addition to her team along with Raichu. She'd caught an Eevee a while ago, before the Rocket United/Elite Four crises began, and planned on evolving it into a Vaporeon as she'd always wanted one, but soon realised during the Jessie League tournament that she needed to diversify her team. Her team was still mostly water types – the other four members of her team were Starmie, Corsola, Gyarados and Kingdra – but almost all of them had a secondary typing that made her team a lot more capable. In all, she now had coverage of water, fire, electric, psychic and dragon types, with the ability to use even more types of attacks.

Her new Pokémon weren't as experienced as her older Pokémon like Starmie and Corsola, but she'd been training them hard recently, and they'd become extremely formidable in their own right. Raichu had become almost as dangerous as Ash's Pikachu, and probably had the edge in outright power, and even Flareon had come a long way. She'd made sure she taught them all sorts of attacks to cover as many bases as she could, knowing that being able to diversify was the key.

The others released their fire Pokémon as well – Amber released her Ninetales, Gary his Arcanine, and Ash his Charizard, as they carefully made their way down to the burnt-out shell of the twenty-second level of the Silph building.

The floor was still reasonably secure, but the walls were completely gone. Only the metal corner frames of the rooms still remained, and they were twisted from the heat of the fire. They took their time moving to the twenty-first floor, and then the twentieth floor, being careful not to accidentally trip over anything or break through a section of weakened floor.

As they reached the door to the twentieth floor they paused after moving aside some barriers designed to stop anyone from accessing the burnt out floors above. Gary and Ash waited for Misty and Amber to arrive with their Pokémon.

"We have to be quick from here," Gary instructed. "We'll burn these floors from here to level fifteen as fast as possible, then we'll rush down to level twelve and find that server room. Let us know when you're done with the prototype, and remember to try and evacuate any staff you see. The Silph employees didn't do anything wrong here, they're innocent. We're only after the servers and the prototype."

"You got it," Amber nodded. "Let's go."

Misty and Amber rushed through the door after Ash and Gary, heading right where they'd headed left. They opened up each door along the way, yelling to all the staff that there was a fire in the building and to escape as fast as possible, but not all the staff were so quick to believe them.

"As if we need another fire drill," one argued.

"This is _no drill!_" Amber warned them. "You have to get out of here _now!_"

"I don't see no fire," another challenged her. "There's no alarms going off."

She nodded to Ninetales, who used Flamethrower on the roof. People started screaming everywhere, and bolting out the door past her.

"Believe me now?" Amber smirked. "Now get _going_ before you all burn to a crisp. We're not trying to hurt anyone here. And hit a fire alarm on your way down."

Eventually people got the message and started running, and once they were all clear, Amber and Misty both made their way around the nineteenth floor until they found Ash and Gary.

"All clear?" Gary asked.

"Let's torch this place," Misty nodded. "Time for you guys to have some fun," she said to the fire Pokémon.

They set to work, using Flamethrower attacks on the walls and ceiling as they made their way back to the stairs. They continued on to the eighteenth floor, finding that nearly everyone had already made their way down, just as they heard the fire alarm go off. As they made their way through the seventeenth and sixteenth floors, the flames really started to take hold.

"We have to hurry!" Ash cried out to them as they bashed through the fifteenth floor door.

"Get going, find that server room!" Misty shouted to him and Gary. "We have to find the prototype!"

Amber and Misty ran in opposite directions around the outside of the fifteenth floor, running almost halfway around before finding it. Amber found it, complete with a scientist and a Rocket grunt trying to lift it onto a dolly.

"Misty! I found it! Come quick!"

"Who are you?" the grunt asked.

"It doesn't matter," she frowned. "Get out of here now or die."

"Oh I don't think so," the grunt grinned. "You don't have any idea how powerful the Pokémon I have in my possession are, do you little girl?"

Amber rolled her eyes as Ninetales stepped up beside her.

"I get it, you're a Rocket grunt, you think you're pretty tough. But I'm _way_ out of your league, buddy. This is your only chance. I won't ask again. Step away from the machine, or you die right here, right now."

"Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

A flash of intense light blasted past her, striking the machine and causing it to spark and crackle.

"You have no idea what you've just done!" the scientist said in shock. "That electric attack will have completely ruined this machine! Rocket United will _kill_ us!"

"No, they won't," Misty told him as Raichu and her stepped up next to Amber. "_We_ broke it, not you. Now, you see that smoke coming through the ceiling? That's from a fire. Fire's _hot_. We're leaving now, and I suggest you do the same."

"Bye," Amber winked as she followed Misty out the door and down to the fourteenth floor.

The flames were taking hold very quickly now, and had spread to the fifteenth floor all on their own, without Amber or Misty's Pokémon doing anything. Misty tapped her earpiece to contact Ash and Gary.

"Guys, get Pikachu to blast the servers," Misty told them. "Then get the hell out of here, the fire is spreading too fast. We'll burn every few floors as we go. Get to the sixth floor and call the Pidgeot. Get out of here."

"_What about you guys?"_ Gary asked.

"Just go!" Amber shouted. "Assume everyone's okay. Just fly back to Pallet and get clear of this building. We'll be fine."

* * *

Erika and Sabrina wore high heels and black miniskirts, with different coloured tops, trying to look as administrative as they could. Sabrina used her telekinetic powers to open any locked doors, and it wasn't long before they'd arrived at level seven.

"How will we know who to look for?" Erika asked

"We'll just ask them," Sabrina grinned, undoing a button on her top and adjusting her boobs so that they almost popped out.

"What are you doing?" Erika frowned.

"Making it easier for us to get an answer," she smiled back at her. "I suggest you do the same."

"But, Sabrina –"

Erika stopped talking when she felt a button come apart on her top. She looked down, only to see her breasts being pushed up and adjusted.

"Sabrina!" she whispered, trying to cover herself up with her hands.

"Trust me," Sabrina winked. "It'll be a lot easier to identify the scientists this way."

"Gosh…" Erika muttered. "I'm not sure this is really my style."

"Don't act like you've never used your sexuality like this before," Sabrina grinned at her. "Gary told me."

"That was different!" Erika insisted. "Gary is…"

"Is what?" Sabrina smirked.

"Nothing…forget I said anything," Erika blushed.

"Just watch and learn," Sabrina giggled.

They entered the first door on their left, which was a laboratory of some kind. There were five scientists standing around computer screens, staring intently at the monitors as a machine in an isolated room beyond spun around periodically.

"Excuse me," Sabrina said sultrily.

The scientists didn't turn around. They didn't acknowledge her in any way.

"I need to know if any of you worked on the new prototype," she continued.

"No one needs to know that," one scientist said, then turned around to face them both. His eyes almost popped out of his head.

"I'm afraid we do," Sabrina said in her sexiest voice, stepping towards him slowly. "We're just doing our job, can't you please help us out?"

The scientist's face went bright red, and some of the others were starting to turn around. His eyes were fixated on her chest and he either wouldn't or was totally incapable of looking up at her face.

"Sure…I can tell you," he answered dumbly. "Five guys worked on it, they're all in lab seven-C. Two doors down from here."

Sabrina smiled sweetly at him.

"Thank you _so_ much," she replied. "You've been _so_ very helpful to us."

"No problem…" the scientist said, almost drooling.

They exited the lab and continued onwards to lab 7C. Erika stared at Sabrina in amazement.

"Did that really just happen?"

"Don't ever doubt the power of the female body when dealing with men," Sabrina told her. "Having psychic powers in this situation is almost entirely useless when you have boobs."

"I suppose it helps when you're as stunning as you are," Erika replied.

Sabrina grinned.

"You think you're not stunning?" she asked her, stopping in her tracks. "You try it then."

"No! Sabrina, I couldn't, I –"

Erika felt herself moving forwards towards the lab door, then noticed as the door handle began turning on its own.

"Wait! Sabrina, I'll do it," she sighed in relief as Sabrina stopped telekinetically moving her.

Sabrina laughed as Erika tried to build up the courage to do what she'd just done, adjusting her boobs again and hiking up her miniskirt a little.

"It's not as hard as you think," Sabrina giggled. "Just give it a try. It's actually really liberating."

"It's just feels so…_slutty_."

Sabrina shrugged at her.

"These are men that created a machine that can potentially devastate an entire region of the world," she reminded her. "If you were doing this to skip out on paying a meal or something, _then_ it'd be morally wrong. But there's nothing wrong with deceiving people like _them."_

Erika breathed deeply, preparing herself.

"Okay…I think I'm ready. I'm warning you though, I'm ever so much _not_ like you."

Sabrina grinned widely, relishing in having a hand in corrupting Erika even just a little.

They entered the lab, and this time the scientists all turned around straight away.

"Um…excuse me?" Erika said nervously. "Are you the five scientists working on the prototype?"

"Who wants to know?" one of them asked somewhat aggressively.

"We do," Erika answered. "We need you to come with us. There's a fire in the building and we need to evacuate you all safely."

"I haven't heard anything about this," the scientist frowned.

Erika started panicking a little as the scientists appeared to pay no attention to her looks at all.

"I'm afraid there's really no time to explain. We _must_ safely evacuate you all to a secure facility immediately. Silph Co cannot risk losing you. The orders come from _above_ the top, if you know what I mean."

"Above, you say," the scientist stroked his beard, finally glancing down at Erika's chest. "Then these orders came from Jessie?"

"No, _above_," Erika insisted. "We've been asked by the _highest _authority to ensure that your _every_ need is attended to while this matter is investigated more closely. But for now, we must escape before this building is completely destroyed."

"Every need, you say," the scientist stroked his beard again, eyeing Erika's body from top to bottom. "What about the prototype?"

"It's been loaded onto a transport and is being removed from the building as we speak," she answered.

"I'm going to need some evidence of your evacuation orders," the scientist insisted.

Erika sighed, then approached him, trying to look as sexy as she could. It didn't feel right to her, she wasn't naturally a very flirty person. But she could feel Sabrina's eyes on her, and knew she had to try it if this plan was going to work without incident.

The scientist looked down at her chest again as she came closer, and Erika made sure he got an eyeful. She lightly touched his chest, gently spidering her fingertips downwards while the scientist looked straight down her top. She felt quite dirty.

"I'm sure you understand how important your survival is to Rocket United," she said softly. "We have to move quickly to ensure your escape. Don't worry," she smiled sultrily as she came closer still. "You will be _very_ well cared for while this mess is being sorted out. Rocket United values your work very highly.

The scientist had begun to sweat a little as Erika's fingertips worked their magic. She could almost _feel_ Sabrina laughing, and fortunately the scientist responded.

"Okay let's get out of here then," he said. "Take us to this facility of yours."

"We'll be evacuating in secret," Erika told him and the other scientists. "Your safety is of paramount important to us, so it's vital that nobody can tell where we're going."

She turned towards the doorway like a catwalk model and made her way out the door, followed by a grinning Sabrina, barely containing her amusement. She felt her skirt rising slightly as she walked, and turned to Sabrina, who was about to burst out loud with laughter, and almost gave them both away. One of the other scientists cleared his throat.

"So uh…how long have you two been with Rocket United for?" he asked very nervously.

Sabrina stopped walking, along with the entire group after her. She turned around and stepped up to the scientist who'd asked the question and grabbed him by the hair on the back of his head. She smiled at him, then shoved his face into her cleavage and held it there.

"You guys don't get to have much fun, do you?" she smirked at the other scientists. "We don't have time for questions right now, but if you're good, and do as we say, we might stick around for a while to help you…settle in."

She pushed his face a little further into her chest. The other four scientists were spellbound.

"Does that sound appealing to you?" she asked.

They all nodded, even the one she was smothering. She pulled his face away and smiled seductively at him.

"Good," she whispered, then let him go and followed Erika towards the level six balcony.

Before long they'd reached it, and people were already starting to evacuate the building as they heard the fire alarms begin to go off.

"Where are we going?" the lead scientist asked them. "Why are we on the balcony?"

"I told you, we need to get away in secret," Erika said, irritated. "If we try to get you out with everyone else, then it won't be secret, will it?"

"I suppose not…" the scientist mumbled. "But this just seems a bit excessive."

"You'll be safe soon," Erika smiled sweetly. "Then we can all relax and get to know each other a little better."

"You _do_ want to get to know us a little better, don't you?" Sabrina asked in her sexy voice.

"Of course!" another scientist replied enthusiastically. "Don't mind him, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

The other scientists all glared at the lead scientist, who immediately shut up, just as the Pidgeots arrived.

"Quickly, hop on," Erika told them, and they warily did so, nervously mounting the waiting Pidgeots.

The fire raged above them, and Sabrina took one last look inside to make sure the others weren't behind them. The coast was clear, and she and Erika hopped on the last two Pidgeots to make their escape, confident that they hadn't been given away.

* * *

"_Reports are in,_" Ritchie told them through their earpieces. _"The machine and the servers are completely destroyed, along with the entire Silph Co building. Well done, guys._"

"I almost feel bad for Silph," Ash said. "First the whole company gets taken over by terrorists, now their building and all their history is destroyed."

"They'll be fine," Gary told him. "They receive a lot of funding from the government, and we still have copies of all their research. Silph Co won't die."

"I just hope Sabrina and Erika got away safely with the scientists," Amber said. "I hope they didn't run into any problems."

"With Sabrina there, I doubt they had any problems," Misty smirked. "Those scientists would have leapt out of the building willingly if she wanted them to."

"I guess you're right," Ash laughed. "She does have a knack for getting what she wants."

"And for knowing how to manipulate stupid men who can't see past a pair of boobs," Misty muttered.

"What was that, Mist?" Ash asked ignorantly.

"Nothing," she grinned. "I was just agreeing with you. By the way, James came up with a new plan last night. When we get back to Oak's place, we'll explain it all to everyone."

"Sounds good," Ash nodded. "What's the gist of it?"

"We're taking back Pallet Town."

"Oh I'm definitely getting involved in _that_," Ash smirked.

* * *

"Why are we in Pallet Town?" the lead scientist asked angrily. "Where have you brought us?"

"Just shut up," one of the other scientists snapped at him. "Clearly, we've been rescued."

"Jessie will hear about this," the lead scientist warned. "I'll tell her myself, and your little operation will come crashing down!"

"And just how do you plan on telling her? Through telepathy?" the other scientist mocked.

"I'll find a way, I'll take you all down!"

"You're an idiot," the other scientist said, stepping up to him and pointing a finger into his chest. "Don't you see what's really happening? Rocket United are taking over the whole world. The technology we've built for them has been used to do horrible things. We're _slaves_. These people aren't terrorists, they're _saviours_. They're here to help us, and the whole world."

He turned to Erika then.

"You want our help to reverse what Rocket United have done, right?"

"That's right," she nodded.

"Then you've got it. And our most sincere thanks for saving us from those monsters. In return, we promise to do everything we can do help you. This is as much on us now as it is on you guys. We'll do our part, but I admit without our notes and blueprints from our other work, it will be a lot more difficult."

"Then it's a good thing we _have_ all of that information," Professor Oak smiled as he came out of the lab.

"Professor Oak!" the scientist said in shock, rushing forward to shake his hand, followed by the other three scientists. "We had no idea this was your doing. We're most humbled."

"Oh this wasn't just my doing," he laughed. "I was only a small part of what's been happening here. If you'll follow me inside, we can begin immediately. We have everything you may need here."

"I'm not going anywhere," the lead scientist protested. "You people are messing with powers you couldn't possibly comprehend. When they take this world down, you're going to end up on the losing side."

Oak frowned at him, then spat in disgust.

"You call yourself a scientist," he sneered. "We know _exactly_ what we're dealing with. It's _you_ that doesn't seem to understand the depth of what's happening. If the Elite Four get their way, this world will be utterly decimated. Every person, every Pokémon a slave to their will. _Including_ you. Is that what you want?"

"Ha!" the lead scientist blurted. "I will be rewarded for my part. I've made sure of it. When this world is brought to its knees, I'll be among the new lords."

Oak started laughing, making the lead scientist frown.

"What's so funny, old man?"

"You actually believe what they told you?" Oak chuckled. "You're an easy target for people like them. Offer you riches and glory and you'll do anything. How naïve."

He turned to Sabrina.

"Take him away. Lock him up along with Lorelei."

Sabrina smiled, then gladly led him to Oak's makeshift holding cells.

"You have Lorelei?" the scientist yelled as Sabrina shoved him. "That's impossible! You lie! I know the truth! She was killed several days ago! You can't fool me!"

"Shut up," Sabrina said flatly as she used her telekinetic powers to forcibly stop him from speaking.

"Well, would you look at that," Oak smiled. "Here come the others now."

Ash, Misty, Amber and Gary dismounted their Pidgeots as CJ, Vermillion Jenny, Ritchie, Brock, James and Meowth came out from the lab. They all joined Erika, Professor Oak and the four remaining scientists.

"Well done again," CJ congratulated them. "Rocket United are in disarray. Silph may have been collateral damage in the process, but the result more than justifies the means."

"And you must be the four Silph scientists," Vermillion Jenny addressed them. "Welcome."

"We're grateful to be here," one answered. "You have our word that we'll do whatever is necessary to reverse what we've done and help take down Rocket United for good. Allow me to introduce my associates. This is Roger, Gregory and Wolfgang, and I am Eugene. Our traitorous friend that you so kindly locked up for us is Jensen."

"Well it's a privilege to meet you all," Vermillion Jenny smiled. "You'll be well taken care of here."

"Although not quite in the way we made it seem earlier," Erika clarified, buttoning up her top.

"That's more than understandable, Miss Erika," Eugene laughed.

"You know who I am?" Erika asked in surprise.

"We weren't sure at first," Gregory answered. "We thought you might be Misty, because of your red hair, but the voice was all wrong."

"And your friend is Sabrina, of Saffron Gym fame," Wolfgang grinned. "Her bright crimson hair threw us off too. We're well aware of her reputation though, and she quickly gave herself away."

"I hope your keen insights will prove useful on more levels than just seeing through my team's disguises," CJ smirked.

"Sorry, CJ," Misty interrupted. "But we have a plan for our next move."

"Of course," CJ smiled. "Let's hear it."

Misty nodded at James, who stepped forward to address everyone as Sabrina came back outside to join them.

"Well, as you know, we need to draw the Elite Four's attention away from us, now that they know where we are," he began. "I have a better idea. We have the resources and the power to take back this whole town. If Rocket United are unable to enter Pallet Town at all, then we can pretty much do whatever we like."

"There can't be dat many grunts here," Meowth added. "We can send 'em packin'. After dat we can keep a couple of us here to maintain security. We've got the Pallet Pidgeys, we've got all da Pokémon here at the ranch, we've got Misty's gym leader sisters…we can take back dis town and keep it free from those bastards for good. Not even the Elite Four will be brave enough to risk comin' here."

CJ raised her eyebrows as she turned to Oak, and both of them seemed to be considering the idea strongly.

"It's actually a really good idea," CJ affirmed. "We can keep operating out of Professor Oak's lab, we can safely design technology that can be used to counteract the effects of the Shadow Pokémon machines, all without risk of interference from Rocket United or the Elite Four."

"We'll need more help if we want to keep the Elite Four out, though," Oak added. "Misty's sisters are formidable trainers, but we'll need more."

"Well Janine is out," Sabrina told him. "She sold out to the Rockets."

"What about the other gym leaders?" he asked.

"Blaine could help us," Amber said. "He stayed behind after we cleared out the Rocket grunts, but he'd be happy to help us out. He _hates_ them."

"We never made it to Vermillion City," Gary said, "we were captured in Celadon. But when I met Lieutenant Surge, he didn't give me the impression that he'd ever sell out to anyone."

"He hates the Rockets," Vermillion Jenny clarified. "He was trying to build up an army to take them down, last time I checked, but he couldn't get the numbers he needed. I can try to contact him."

"That's excellent," Oak smiled.

"What about the other Pallet trainers that left the same day Gary and I did?" Ash asked. "They're pretty good, right?"

"Sorry, Ash," Gary shook his head. "They went missing around the same time you did, and we haven't heard from them since. Their families don't know anything either."

"That's a good start, all the same," CJ said. "We should try to contact Blaine and Surge. Those two will be a massive asset to us, if we can get them."

"If I may say so," James started, "Lieutenant Surge was in the army, wasn't he? His input on our plan might make it even more effective. Perhaps we should go and get him and Blaine first?"

"I agree," Oak nodded.

"Okay then," CJ said. "We'll try to contact them both from here first. Sabrina, get ready to move out to Cinnabar Island. Misty, I want you, Gary and Amber to get ready to go to Vermillion City. Remember, that gym was never cleared. It'll be filled to the brim with Rocket United grunts, and there'll be a Rocket Administrator of some sort there as well. Expect the worst."

"What about us?" Erika asked.

"You, Brock, James, Meowth and Ash are needed here," CJ told her.

"We need you to begin planning this out, and to instruct the stronger Pokémon here at the ranch," Oak added. "Pikachu and Meowth will be most helpful to you."

"My translatin' skills are second to none," Meowth announced proudly. "It feels so good to be a good guy."

"And while you're all hard at work, we'll be doing our best to come up with something that can reverse the Shadow Pokémon machines' effects," Eugene said, getting into the spirit of things.

"Then everyone knows what they have to do?" CJ asked, looking around at the group. "Good, let's get to work, guys."


	9. Taking Back Vermillion

The volcano loomed large in front of her as Sabrina stopped to assess her surroundings. She was fairly certain that someone had been following her the whole way, but whoever it was had been staying completely out of sight. She could sense him – or her – but could never see anything. She decided it was best not to enter Blaine's hideout while this person was around, so she sat down by the side of the road and meditated instead, concentrating on sensing her surroundings.

When Amber and herself had come here before, the Rockets had taken the old, dilapidated and disused gym site instead of Blaine's actual gym, hidden in the volcano. Blaine had known that they were there, and stayed out of site, only coming out to help them route the Rockets and remove them all from Cinnabar Island. So far, it seemed that they'd stayed away from the island since then, as she hadn't come across any since arriving. The island wasn't exactly thriving and busy as it usually was, especially in peak tourism season, but there were people around, and they seemed to have less fear about them than the people of mainland Kanto.

She felt the stranger approaching, hiding behind her in some brush. She knew who it was now – she couldn't sense it before, his presence was clouded by his desire to stay hidden – but now that he was closer she knew exactly who it was.

"You're getting careless," he said. "You allowed me to sneak up on you."

"Did I?" she smirked, her eyes still closed.

A blast of flames shot out from behind her as she swayed to her left, moving only just enough to avoid being burnt. She grabbed the man telekinetically and threw him over her head onto the road, and he landed on his feet, laughing.

"Perceptive as always, Sabrina," he chuckled.

"I'm glad you're back to your old self, Blaine," she grinned, opening her eyes.

She stood up and embraced him. They'd been friends ever since Ash came to Saffron City seven years earlier and – with the help of Haunter – redeemed her from her darker side. She'd struggled to adjust to normal life, but Blaine had helped her, having been somewhat of a hermit himself, and the two of them had been great friends ever since. He'd been like an uncle to her, and they still kept in regular contact.

"Now, what can I do for you, my dear?"

"Perhaps we should talk somewhere a little less open?" she suggested.

"Oh, it's fine," Blaine smiled. "There aren't any Rockets around here anymore. We cleared every last one of them out last time."

"Not even any spies?"

"I wouldn't worry about that," he grinned a little wider. "I'm sure you'd be able to sense anyone brave or dumb enough to try spying on us. I trust you."

She looked around; there were quite a few people around, mostly locals, but a few tourists as well. She guessed by their demeanour and gait that they were probably here to hide from the Rockets in their home towns. She couldn't sense anything or anyone malicious though.

"We need your help," she told him.

"You want me to fight for you, don't you?"

She blinked a couple of times, surprised at how perceptive he was.

"How did you…"

"You have that 'battle' look in your eyes. Don't worry, your psychic powers aren't rubbing off on me. I'll stick to riddles, thankyou very much."

Sabrina grinned; it was good to be around Blaine again, and she felt like she was among family. She scanned his mind as best as she could, although with Blaine it was difficult. He was always on guard, and trying to read his thoughts was like trying to sift through jigsaw puzzle pieces: even if you knew what you were looking for, there was no way you'd be able to tell if what you were sensing was even remotely related.

"You should know better than that, young lady," he laughed.

"Sorry," she smiled. "Old habits die hard."

"Why do you need my help?"

She sighed, gathering her own thoughts.

"The Elite Four have found out where we're basing our HQ, in Pallet Town, at Professor Oak's property," she explained. "We can't keep them occupied constantly with attacks on them, but we can't move all of the Pokémon and equipment either."

"Yes, I imagine moving all of the Professor's things would take a lifetime," he agreed, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

"We need to remove the Rockets from all of Pallet Town," she said.

"You have plenty of quality trainers there that can help with that," Blaine replied. "Including at least two that have beaten _me_."

"To take back the whole town though?" Sabrina countered. "We need as much help as we can get. With the best will in the world, a dozen or so trainers won't be enough to take on a whole town's worth of Rocket United."

"No, I suppose it wouldn't," Blaine agreed again, scratching his chin thoughtfully once more.

"So you'll help us?"

He looked Sabrina right in the eyes, thinking and saying 'hmm' to himself over and over again.

"I'll help, but only if you answer a riddle correctly," he grinned.

Sabrina rolled her eyes.

"Blaine, are you serious?"

"Never!" he shouted enthusiastically. "I am _never _serious!"

"Can't we just go? My Pidgeot is waiting for us and –"

"What can fly or crawl, but never walk? It constantly changes, but endlessly repeats. It's totally harmless but can kill you with ease?"

He grinned a little wider, eagerly awaiting her response, which came much sooner than he anticipated.

"Time," she answered. "That's an easy one."

"Damn!" he growled. "I thought that was a good one."

He sneered at her, and Sabrina laughed at his disappointment.

"I suppose I owe you my help now," he grunted.

"Pidgeot, I need a ride back to Pallet Town. We have a passenger," she said after tapping her earpiece.

In a few seconds, the Pidgeots arrived, and the two of them climbed aboard. Blaine remained quiet, which wasn't like him.

"Are you upset that I answered your riddle?" Sabrina asked. "Or are you thinking of another one?"

"Neither," he replied. "I'm wondering if you realise how powerful the Elite Four really are. They won't give up Pallet Town so easily. This won't be a matter of defeating all their trainers. This will be all-out war."

"It's _already_ an all-out war," she said grimly. "That's why we're getting Surge in."

"Surge?" he blurted. "From Vermillion?"

"There's another Surge?" Sabrina asked.

"Well, no, it's just that he and his crew haven't been heard from since Rocket United took all the gyms," Blaine answered. "I heard that his was the only gym that wasn't freed. He won't like that. I'm not sure he'll help you."

"The only reason we never got to Vermillion was because Gary Oak and Erika were captured in Celadon City. Their next stop would have been Vermillion City."

"They captured Gary Oak?" Blaine said in surprise. "That kid was one of my toughest opponents. It's gonna take more than just good trainers to take back _that_ gym."

"Misty, Gary and Amber are going to Vermillion this time."

"Misty? You mean the Cerulean gym leader?"

"The very same."

Blaine grinned.

"That girl is a firecracker, if you can call a water trainer a 'firecracker'," he chuckled. "I saw her fight in that tournament. She's gotten quite good."

"She's changed, since this all started," Sabrina noted, "and not necessarily for the better."

"Perhaps that's exactly what you need right now," he suggested. "Someone who can be just as devastating as the enemy. You know, I only met her once. She was travelling with the Pewter gym leader and another kid from Pallet Town."

"Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes, that's the one. He had a Charizard, and it was totally out of control. It hated him."

"Things have changed," Sabrina told him. "That Charizard is arguably his best Pokémon now, and Misty is arguably a better trainer. She was always…spirited…but now she's gotten angry, and cold. Those Rockets did some terrible things to her sisters, and her Pokémon."

"Yes, I heard that they were particularly brutal at Cerulean City. They must really hate her."

"You have no idea," Sabrina sighed. "Whether she knows it or not, though, she's our best hope."

"Even more than Gary and Ash?" Blaine asked, clearly surprised.

"Yes," Sabrina nodded. "Gary and Ash are both outstanding trainers, but their hubris prevents them from reaching their potential."

"I see. And Misty doesn't have pride issues?"

"Not that I've seen," she shook her head. "If anything, she has too much self-doubt. But lately, ever since she freed her gym from Rocket United, she's been brutal and ruthless. I worry that she'll go too far."

"War does terrible things to good people," Blaine nodded. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that. In any case, we should focus on Pallet Town for now. So tell me what you know so far."

* * *

Vermillion City was more active than Misty thought it would be. She presumed that it would be completely desolate except for the standard complement of Rocket United grunts patrolling around, but there were quite a few people around. They seemed to be in groups, fighting against the Rockets. As they got closer, Misty recognised some of the people leading the groups.

"They're Surge's people," she said. "I've seen them before."

"They look like they're winning," Amber observed. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Really?" Gary raised an eyebrow. "A bunch of ex-military trainers are leading organised groups against Rocket United, and you're surprised?"

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Let's land closer to the gym," Misty pointed, seeing it not too far from where they were currently flying. "There, the Pokémon Centre. It looks like the people took it back."

They came in for a landing at the Pokémon Centre nearest to the gym, and were immediately surrounded. Two groups of people converged on them, led by a rough-looking young woman dressed in black punk or goth-looking attire. She was undeniably beautiful, but looked as though she kicked a lot of ass. She wore thick, dark eye makeup, a fishnet tank over a shiny black crop top, and a shiny black skin-tight micro-miniskirt with torn stockings and massive, chunky block-heeled leather knee boots.

"Look what we have here, everyone," came a booming voice from the back of the group. "Three babies. Go home, babies. You ain't welcome here."

"Why not?" Gary asked, his hands concealing his Pokéballs.

"Because we got this whole thing under control already," said the rough-looking girl.

She approached Misty and got right in her face. Misty didn't budge.

"We especially don't need help from squirts like you," she spat, almost literally. "Where were you days ago when we really could've used your help?"

"I was captured," Gary replied, attempting to keep the peace. "I went to Celadon City with Erika first, she used to run that gym, and she wanted to check on her friends first. We were captured before we could come here to help. I'm sorry."

"Sorry won't bring back the people who died trying to protect our city!" the girl retorted angrily.

"And we're sorry for your loss," Amber said. "People are dying everywhere, not just here. We're doing our best to try and help as much as we can."

"So you're saying Vermillion's people don't count as much as everyone else's?" the girl glared at Amber.

"No! That's not what I'm saying at all," Amber replied defensively. "Please, we wanna help as much as possible."

"You can _help _by leaving," the girl sneered, shoving Misty.

Misty grabbed the girl by the arm and threw her over her hip. She landed on her back and grunted in pain, then got back to her feet and into a kickboxer's stance. Misty's face was grim and serious. The girl grinned as Misty stood still, waiting for her to move.

"You don't wanna do this," Misty warned her. "She said we're here to _help_. This isn't helping. Now tell us where the Lieutenant is, or I will _make_ you tell us."

"Now when did the Cerulean City gym leader become such a badass?" came the booming voice from the back of the group. "I knew you when you were a sweet little thing. What changed?"

Misty dropped her guard stance, and Gary moved his hand away from his Pokéballs.

"This _war_ changed," Misty told him. "They did some things I didn't like very much. Now I'm going to make them pay."

"Now you're speaking my language," the enormous man said as he approached the front of the group. "I heard what happened in Cerulean City. That's partly why we're being so aggressive here. We didn't want what happened to you to happen to us."

"Seems like you're doing a pretty good job so far," Misty observed.

"It's good to see ya, Misty," the man said, reaching out to grab her in a huge bear hug. "I didn't recognise ya with your fancy blue hair."

"It's been a long time, Lieutenant," she replied with a rare smile. "I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner. Like Gary said, half our group was captured. We had to get them back, then we had to blow some things up."

"Silph Co, huh?" Surge laughed. "Good strategy, I like it. It seems to have worked, too. Certainly made our job a bit easier."

"This is Amber. You know Gary already. What can we do to help?" Misty asked him.

"Now why would you be willing to help us now?" he replied, appearing skeptical. "You want something from us, don't ya?"

"I can't lie," Misty answered with her head down. "We really need your help freeing Pallet Town."

"So, you're basing yourself out of old man Oak's place, are ya?" he grinned. "You wanna free Pallet Town so you're not attacked. Which means your location was revealed to the enemy."

Gary and Amber stood there with dropped jaws, surprised at how clued-in the Lieutenant was.

"Let me guess," he continued. "Your spiky haired friend from Pewter gave you away. Probably to that seductress Lorelei."

"How did you –" Gary started to ask.

"Because that boy was always weak," Surge snapped. "He had a veneer of strength, but he got carried away with his stupid rock-type metaphors. Underneath that, he was always just a scared little boy pretending to be a man."

"So will you help us?" Amber asked.

Surge looked her up and down, grabbed her by the shoulders, then her arms, then pinched her thighs with his enormous, mighty hands. Amber visibly tensed up, but showed no sign of discomfort or weakness.

"You look like a pretty little thing, with your girly little shorts, your pretty hair, your nice top showing off your chest, but you're a fighter, aren't ya?" Surge grinned.

Amber didn't reply. She stood perfectly still, only moving to fold her arms across her chest.

"You're ex-Rocket, aren't ya?" he deduced. "Probably a spy. You look like just a normal, girly girl, but you're actually really tough, right? I bet you'd even give Bella here a run for her money."

He looked at the rough-looking girl, who wasn't impressed at all.

"Sure, I'll help ya," he finally said. "Taking back a whole town isn't easy to do, especially when you don't have many men. At least here, we have the good people of Vermillion City to help us. Pallet Town don't have that. But you gotta do something for us first."

"What's that?" Amber asked.

"You help us clear out my gym, and the rest of my people can take care of it from there. After that, Bella and I will go with ya to Pallet Town."

Misty offered her hand, and Lieutenant Surge grinned and shook it, almost breaking it in the process.

"Good choice, Misty," he said, letting her hand go. "Sorry if that bruises later."

They headed off towards the gym. In all, there were about twenty people with them, most of which looked to be trainers. Before Misty could join them, Bella stopped her.

"What?" she asked her.

"Nice throw," Bella complemented her, looking down at her chest, then her legs. "We should get to know each other. I like your style."

Bella slowly walked around her, clearly checking her out some more. She grabbed her butt and gave it a solid squeeze.

"Nice," she said softly into Misty's ear. "You work out."

"I swim, and ride bikes a lot," Misty answered, undeterred.

"Yeah, I can feel it," Bella replied, giving her another squeeze. "You're toned. Sexy."

"And taken," Amber said angrily, grabbing Misty's hand and dragging her aside.

"Don't worry," Bella said, checking out Amber as well. "I like you too. Maybe we can all be friends. You both like girls, huh?"

Misty and Amber didn't say anything. Bella stepped closer to Amber, then walked around her as well. She grabbed Amber's butt and squeezed it the same way she had with Misty. Amber jumped and squealed in surprise.

"Not as toned as Misty's," she giggled. "But just as nice. You're cute, Amber, is it?"

"You have a thing for asses, don't you?" Amber replied.

Bella grinned. "I'm sure you hate the way her ass looks when she's wearing a pair of shorts that would fit a ten-year-old girl."

Both girls blushed a little as Bella looked them both up and down again.

"We'll talk later, okay?" she winked at them. "Let's go get the gym back first, though."

Bella walked off, and both Amber and Misty couldn't help but steal a look at her. Bella turned around, as if she knew they were checking her out. They both turned away, but she'd caught them already.

"You two don't have a thing for butts at all," she giggled, then walked off again, deliberately popping her hips a little more as she went.

Amber looked at Misty with raised eyebrows.

"She seems…nice…" Amber said, unsure of how Misty would respond.

"You mean she's totally fucking sexy," Misty smirked.

Amber blushed heavily.

"She's not really my type," Amber responded hesitantly.

"So when I was wearing Sabrina's shiny black outfit, you weren't interested at all?"

"That's not what I…" Amber nervously replied, then slumped her shoulders. "Okay, she's hot. And _you_ were hot when you were undercover. I totally dig that look, and _yes_, I really like looking at your ass in those shorts. And we're both _really _distracted right now."

Misty started to walk off, a smirk adorning her face. She grabbed Amber's butt on her way past, making her squeal and jump again.

"You're _really_ cute when you're embarrassed," Misty giggled.

* * *

Surge burst through the front doors of the gym, having swept aside the guarding Rocket grunts like they were empty boxes.

"Take them out," he told the group of trainers following him.

The trainers quickly obeyed, releasing their Pokémon and getting ready to battle the grunts. Misty sighed – she knew it would take every single one of them to beat the grunts. Their Shadow Pokémon were seriously tough, and most of the regular trainers of Kanto didn't stand a chance. Not even in a group. She'd seen a single Shadow Golem rip through a group of well-trained grass Pokémon like they weren't even there. A town famed for its electric-type Pokémon wouldn't stand a chance.

She knew she couldn't focus too long on their plight, and had to trust them to deal with it. She followed Surge and Bella, flanked by Gary and Amber, until they reached the doors to the main battlefield.

"I'll take care of the administrator," he ordered. "Gary, you go with Amber and secure the western wing. Bella, go with Misty and secure the eastern wing. Don't battle with them unless you have to. It's easier to just take out the trainers. Go."

"Will you be alright?" Misty asked. "Those administrators are pretty serious."

"I can at least hold out long enough for you to get back here," Surge grinned. "And I like a challenge. Now _go!_"

Misty followed Bella around to their right, and soon came across a pair of grunts patrolling the corridor. They'd heard them breaking in and had run to see what the fuss was all about. Bella released an Electivire, and Misty released her Raichu.

"Electivire, Thunderbolt!" Bella ordered.

"You too, Raichu!"

The two electric Pokémon quickly zapped at the grunts, but a Shadow Machamp pushed them out of the way and absorbed the entirety of their attacks. Bella grunted angrily.

"Go, Golem!" one of the grunts shouted.

"Vileplume, go!" the other said.

The Machamp quickly got to its feet, seemingly unfazed by their combined Thunderbolts.

"Damn these Shadow Pokémon!" Bella cursed.

"Don't worry, that thing took a massive blow, it just doesn't seem like it," Misty told her. "I'll hold them still, you hit that Machamp with everything you've got, okay?"

Bella nodded an affirmative.

"Raichu, Thunder Wave them!" Misty yelled.

Raichu blasted a weaker, but more penetrating blast at the entire group of three Shadow Pokémon, which instantly rendered them immobile. Bella grinned at Misty.

"Electivire, Thunder attack that Machamp!"

The Machamp took the entire blast, which propelled it at what seemed like lightspeed into the wall twenty feet behind them. It was a brick wall, and the force of the impact actually cracked the bricks and loosened the mortar. The Machamp fell face-down on the ground, and got back up again, albeit much slower than before.

"Dammit!" Bella yelled in frustration. "What does it take to bring these things _down?!_"

"Raichu, Quick Attack!"

Raichu shot forwards with impossible speed, zig-zagging down the corridor, passing between the Vileplume and Golem to strike the Machamp. It was launched back into the wall, and this time it passed out, lying prone on the ground after falling once more.

"Yeah!" Bella pumped a fist.

"I'll take the Golem," Misty told her. "You take that Vileplume. Watch out for its spores."

"Sir!" she saluted. "But how are you gonna beat a _Shadow_ Golem with a Raichu?"

"Like _this!_" Misty smirked. "Raichu, Thundershock the sprinkler system!"

Raichu obeyed, zapping the sprinkler outlet just above the Rocket United grunts' heads. The sprinkler malfunctioned, spitting water all over them. Misty grinned, and Bella stood there, shocked and in awe.

"Raichu, Thunder attack!" Misty commanded.

"You too, Electivire!" Bella said, almost belatedly.

The two electric Pokémon synchronized perfectly, hitting the Vileplume and Golem dead-on, with an attack that should've done minimal to zero damage. Instead, it fried them to a crisp, instantly knocking them both out before the sprinklers soaked them again. The two Rocket grunts tensed up, too frightened to run. Misty charged at them, knocking the first one over, then punched the second one in the belly, doubling him over. She grabbed him around the neck and choked him out, letting him crumple to the floor. The first one grabbed her legs, tripping her over, then tried to grab her by the neck. Misty swung her legs up and kicked him off of her, then sat on his neck and pulled his head up towards her crotch.

Bella watched on in utter awe as Misty's legs shot out and squeezed the grunt's neck while he hopelessly tried to pry them apart. In seconds, he was out cold as well. She let him go, allowing his head to hit the ground as she got to her feet. Bella rushed towards her, a massive grin on her face.

"Misty, that was _amazing!_" she cooed. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"My friend Ash did that to Brock in the Pewter gym years and years ago. He accidentally hit the sprinklers, and Brock's Onix went down," Misty explained proudly.

"Lieutenant Surge told me about that story," Bella nodded. "But that's not what I meant. Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Oh," Misty said in surprise. "Celadon Officer Jenny taught me a few things, but I think I mostly just like hurting people."

"I didn't even know it was _possible_ to knock someone out like that," Bella enthusiastically replied.

"Like I said, I swim a lot and I ride bikes," Misty winked.

"Can you teach me?" Bella asked hopefully.

"Sure, but let's get this gym back first," Misty giggled. "Have you got anything to tie these guys up with?"

Bella reached into her boots and grabbed a handful of cable ties, giving some to Misty, and the two girls got to work tying up the two grunts. They returned the Vileplume and Golem to their Pokéballs, then tied up the Machamp as well.

"We have to keep moving," Misty said. "There'll be more grunts."

"I think there'll be two more," Bella told her. "Then the Lieutenant will probably need our help."

"Let's go," Misty nodded.

* * *

Amber's Alolan Sandslash expertly dodged the Shadow Golem's Rollout attack, then faced it as it came back around.

"Sandslash, Blizzard!"

Sandslash blasted out thousands of icy crystals at the Golem, freezing it up until it came to a total stop, unable to attack or even move.

"Okay Sandslash, Iron Tail it!"

Sandslash bolted towards the Golem and whipped around, smashing it with its tail. The icy prison was shattered, releasing the Golem, but only enough that it was sent hurtling around the corridors, bouncing off the walls like a pinball, completely knocked out cold.

"Arcanine, Fire Blast!"

Gary's Arcanine launched a huge, flaming wall at the Vileplume, setting it instantly alight. The Vileplume only got angrier though, and kept trying to attack. Gary knew it was weakening, but he also knew Shadow Pokémon don't slow down until they're out cold.

"Take it out, Arcanine. Take Down attack!"

Arcanine leapt forward as the Vileplume was preparing to use Petal Dance, flattening it under its weight. When Arcanine got up, Vileplume was finished.

"That's the way, Arcanine," Gary celebrated. "Nice work, buddy."

When Gary looked back towards the grunts, Amber was already all over them. One grunt had grabbed her by the armpits, and she'd wrapped her legs around the other's neck. She squeezed tightly as the first grunt tried to wrench her away, but she wasn't letting go. All three of them hit the ground as Amber quickly squeezed the second grunt out cold, then elbowed the first grunt in the face as he tried to grab her around the neck. She pushed him onto his front and sat on his head, pulling his hands behind his back and holding them there.

"Gary! Cable ties!" she yelled as the grunt desperately tried to throw her off.

Gary quickly searched his pockets, eventually finding a handful of cable ties. He rushed forwards and secured the grunt's hands, then quickly tied the other grunt before he woke up. Amber got to her feet, dusting her hands off and putting one foot on the first grunt's head.

"You've been training with Misty?" Gary smirked.

Amber grinned, then kicked the grunt in the chest before making their way around the corner to the rear corridor of the gym. They saw Bella, Misty, Raichu and an Electivire running towards them.

"That's it?" Misty shouted to them.

"Yeah, that's all of them," Amber shouted back.

"Let's get to the battlefield," Bella yelled as she ran back around the corridors towards the front of the gym.

Amber and Gary bolted in the other direction, meeting up with them again at the massive doors to the battlefield. Bella pushed them open, and they all quickly ran inside. Lieutenant Surge's Raichu was battling a Shadow Marowak.

"That's all you've got, Surge?" the female administrator mocked him. "I'm disappointed."

The administrator looked very similar to the one Misty had encountered in the Cerulean gym, and had a similar demeanour to boot. She was dressed similarly too, but then she expected her to be. All female Rockets wore tiny, tight clothes designed to distract people. She felt herself blushing as she realised _she_ dressed like that too a lot of the time.

"Not even close," Surge grunted angrily.

"You've wasted three Pokémon so far, and you haven't even made a dent in my Marowak," the administrator teased. "If you're going to do something impressive, you better do it fast before you lose your last Pokémon too."

"Raichu, Agility!"

Surge spun to his left in surprise as Misty's Raichu sprinted forwards, becoming an orange blur as it ran literal rings around the Marowak.

"Aerial Ace!"

Misty's Raichu leapt high into the air, blinding the Marowak as she backed onto one of the huge flood lights filling Surge's battlefield. As the Marowak struggled to see what was going on, Misty's Raichu came down at speed, striking Marowak in the side, then hitting it again. She attacked so quickly that the Marowak had no way to defend, and quickly went down.

"Amber! Now!" Misty yelled.

Amber kicked the administrator in the back, sending her tumbling to the ground. She quickly straddled her, sitting on her chest and grabbing her wrists. The administrator struggled, trying to unbalance Amber, but she just squeezed her knees together and gripped onto the administrator's head.

"Stop struggling, you dumb bitch," Amber warned her. "You resist, and I'll hurt you."

"Such promises," the administrator laughed as she tried to throw Amber off again.

Amber let go of the administrator's hands, then quickly grabbed the back of her head and pulled it towards her. She retightened her grip, squeezing her neck this time. The administrator's face quickly turned red as she grabbed at Amber's thighs, and tried to pull her away with her feet. Amber grabbed her flaying legs with her arms and pinned them against her own body, smirking as the administrator cursed and bucked. Gary ran up to them and quickly zip-tied her ankles and wrists as she continued to curse.

"I didn't know you had a Raichu," Surge said to Misty.

"You like her?" Misty asked.

"She's a beauty, you've raised her well," he said as he knelt down to give Raichu a scratch on the head. "And you didn't make the mistake I did by not teaching her the speed moves."

"You know, if you have a Pikachu, you can probably still teach your Raichu those moves," Gary told him.

"Yeah I know," Surge smiled. "But I've worked out ways to get around the lack of speed. I like the challenge."

"So what do we do with these idiots?" Amber asked as the now purple-faced administrator continued to try bucking her off.

"We tie them up and walk them through the town, then zap 'em as they leave," Surge grinned. "Humiliation."

"Because lying here like a pretzel with my neck between some brat's thighs, getting squeezed like a stuffed toy isn't embarrassing enough," the administrator mumbled.

"What was that?" Surge asked.

"I said _fuck you!_" the administrator screamed.

"I think she said something about squeezing harder," Surge laughed. "Go ahead and knock her out. Bella, tie her up once she's done."

"With pleasure," Amber grinned, letting the administrator's legs go.

She grabbed the back of her head again as she swung her legs out straight, then squeezed as tight as she could. The administrator's face went deep, deep purple as she desperately grabbed at Amber's thighs. Tears streamed down her face as she squeaked in protest, before losing consciousness a split second later.

"I _really _like you two," Bella said as she tied the administrator's hands behind her back, then turned to Surge. "Please tell me we're going with them to Pallet Town."

"We can leave right now," Surge nodded. "Javier, make sure this place is secure, then get the injured Pokémon to Nurse Joy. Arnold, march all these assholes out of town, and make sure everyone sees them. When you get back, let everyone know that Vermillion City is _ours_ again. Tell them that Bella and I have gone to fight alongside Misty Waterflower and the Resistance. Tell them…tell them we're going after the Elite Four, and we ain't stoppin' till they lie at our feet, dead or in chains. We'll bring peace back to Kanto and the whole world, the same way we did with Vermillion!"

"Sir!" Javier and Arnold shouted, saluting their Lieutenant.

"Good luck, sir," Arnold said. "Fuck 'em up."

Surge grinned as he led the way out of the gym. Misty and Amber contacted HQ and organised an extra couple of Pidgeots to pick them up, as the people of Vermillion City gathered at the foot of Vermillion Gym's steps to celebrate their freedom. Surge stopped and turned around, then saluted Gary, Amber and Misty. The three of them saluted in return.

"Thanks, guys," he smiled. "You're true soldiers. Vermillion owes you a debt it can never repay."


	10. The Battle Of Pallet Town

Two days had passed since Gary, Misty and Amber assisted Lieutenant Surge in reclaiming Vermillion City from Rocket United. It had been busy since then, with the group split almost evenly in half to either prepare the Pokémon at Oak's ranch for the coming battle, or plan out the attack itself. The Pallet Pidgeys had been sent on scouting missions to see what kind of forces Rocket United actually had, and whether any more troops were being sent in from the north via Viridian City. So far, there had been no sightings of any more troops, and the forces they commanded in Pallet Town itself were not extensive. Lieutenant Surge, Gary, Amber, Misty, James, CJ, Professor Oak and Sabrina gathered around Oak's enormous dining table to discuss the plan. Surge wasn't particularly worried at this point, but stressed that the Elite Four would probably anticipate some kind of attack, or would attack Oak's place themselves.

"If they do attack us here before we're ready, or even after we've deployed our forces into Pallet Town, we have to leave a defensive portion of our forces here at the ranch," he warned. "The last thing we need is to free Pallet Town, only to have this place destroyed."

"So you're saying we need four groups," Gary surmised. "One to stay here, and three to attack Pallet?"

"Affirmative," Surge nodded. "The three attacking groups will split just before hitting Pallet Town proper. One will flank west, another will flank east, and one will head up the middle. Battles will begin as you move, so by staying together in your three groups we minimise any chances of being overwhelmed."

"I see," CJ frowned in concentration. "So if we attack in three simultaneous waves, there's no chance of being flanked from behind. Any additional Rocket forces will attack from the north, and we'll be able to see them coming."

"Exactly," Surge grinned. "No surprises. Additionally, the Pallet Pidgeys will be attacking from the north as well, driving them towards us and boxing them in."

"We should try to keep collateral damage to a minimum," Blaine suggested. "We don't need good people losing their homes unnecessarily."

"Agreed," Surge said. "Especially with your pyrotechnics, Blaine, things could get real ugly, real fast. We can't evacuate homes either, not unless we have to."

"Why not?" Amber asked. "We don't need people getting caught in the crossfire. They should make their way here."

"If they come here, and then the Rockets attack us at the ranch while we're all out fighting in Pallet Town, the people will be the first ones to die," Sabrina explained. "This way, we can make sure they're safe either way."

"One small problem," Misty noted. "Rocket United are likely to attack people's homes if they think they might lose."

"Hmm, that's a good point," Surge admitted. "We'll have to push the Rockets back as we go, try to force them out of Pallet to the north."

"That'll be easier than trying to defend people's homes while trying to win a Pokémon battle," Gary agreed. "At least if things start to go a bit bad, the people can still get behind us and stay out of the way."

"Then we have our plan," Surge announced as he stood up tall. "CJ, you know these soldiers better than I do. Choose your troops for each wave."

CJ looked around at them all for a good few moments, thinking to herself as she individually analysed each one of them. Finally she spoke.

"I want Brock, the Waterflower girls and Erika here at the ranch," she said. "They have the best affinity with Pokémon that aren't theirs, they'll be the most useful if an attack on this place _does_ happen. We need outright power, area of effect attacks, and some pushback for each wave. Gary, Sabrina and Surge, you take the west flank. Gary's powerful Pokémon, Surge's massive Thunder attacks and Sabrina's psychic power should mix well. Misty, Bella and James, you take the east flank. Amber, Blaine and Ash will take the centre. Amber and Blaine, you guys be careful with your fire attacks. Try to avoid torching anyone's property if you can help it."

"That sounds pretty solid to me," Surge agreed with a nod. "Now, everyone get some rest, and get the others in here for their briefing. We attack at oh-seven hundred tomorrow."

"Lieutenant, Gary, a moment please?" CJ requested.

Everyone except the three of them left the room.

"We received reports that you were working for Rocket United," CJ frowned at Surge. "Gary reported it himself before he was captured. Tell me what's going on."

"The Lieutenant was looking after his town," Gary told her.

"By letting you and Erika get captured?!" CJ shouted.

"If I'd helped them, Vermillion would have been overrun," Surge shouted back. "I did what was necessary to protect my people. Rocket United had to believe I was working with them. My plan worked, and I learnt what they were up to. Now my people are safe, and my town is no longer under Rocket control."

"I don't trust you, Surge," CJ told him.

"Understood," Surge replied calmly. "But know this. I do what is necessary to get the job done, with _minimum_ casualties, and _maximum_ results. If I'd tried to protect Gary and Erika, they would have been killed and me and my people would be enslaved. Instead, they were captured and unharmed. _Minimum_ casualties, _maximum_ results. The same outcome as I'm gonna achieve here, for you."

"A good soldier never gives in," CJ countered. "I thought you'd understand that."

"A _good soldier_ fights _smart_," Surge replied angrily. "I was always going to fight them, but on _my _terms, not theirs. They attacked Vermillion with overwhelming force, and they would have had no hesitation in killing Oak and Erika. I never leave a man behind. _Ever_. I would never sacrifice those two just to get a victory for myself. If I fought back, sure, I could have won, but it would have cost _many_ lives. By pretending to be on _their_ side, lives were saved."

"How could you possibly know that the Rockets wouldn't have killed Erika and Gary once they were captured?" CJ argued.

"I _didn't_," Surge answered. "But I _did_ know they would have killed them right then and there if I'd fought back, and I _did_ know your people would try to rescue them if they were captured."

"You put my people at risk," CJ berated him. "You lied to them, you lied to all of us. You could have told us what your plan was."

"How was I supposed to do that?" Surge argued back. "I barely got a message out to you in the first place. I didn't know Oak and Erika were coming. When I found out they'd been captured, I had to think of something quick to try and save their lives. The Rockets thought I was on their side after that. I couldn't have contacted you without blowing my cover."

"And how are we supposed to trust that you're not lying to us now?" CJ asked animatedly.

"I'm a soldier," he explained. "I _protect_ people. I protected _my_ people, and I protected _yours_. You may not like me, or trust me, but that isn't gonna stop me from protecting the people of Pallet Town the same way I protected Vermillion."

"I trust him, CJ," Gary told her. "He _did_ save me and Erika by doing what he did. There was no way he could have warned us."

CJ grunted in annoyance, but couldn't fault the logic they were presenting. Surge was right. If he'd tried to fight back, he'd have been overwhelmed by force, Gary and Erika would have been killed, and Surge would have been _forced_ to serve Rocket United. By pretending to serve them, Gary and Erika were spared, and Surge was able to wait for a better opportunity to strike back.

"You have my word," Surge promised her. "I'm on your side. A good soldier would _never_ merc themselves out, never betray."

"Fine," CJ gave in. "But you better be telling the truth. You don't want me as your enemy."

* * *

The next morning, the group gathered just outside Oak's property on the north side, facing the town. They'd already released a Pokémon each: Blaine's Magmortar, Amber's Ninetales, Ash's Charizard, Bella's Electivire, James' Weezing, Misty's Flareon, Sabrina's Alakazam, Surge's Raichu and Gary's Blastoise. Oak, CJ, Ritchie, Misty's sisters, the Jennies, Brock and Erika saw them off, wishing them good luck before taking their positions. Erika, Daisy, Violet and Lily stayed out front to watch for attacks from the north, while Brock and Ritchie waited at the rear of the property for an unlikely attack from the south.

Surge's plan had the entire town well covered. There really weren't any gaps anywhere; the only real chance the Rockets seemed to have would be overwhelming force concentrated on a single area. Each of them were equipped with cable ties to secure defeated Rocket grunts, and earpieces in case they needed to communicate. Surge had educated them on proper radio communication etiquette, although he admitted that time in the army would be the only way they'd remain disciplined enough to acknowledge commands and end transmissions properly.

The three remaining groups split off as they reached Pallet Town. It was too early yet for full patrols to begin outside of the town proper, and this was part of the plan. The Rockets would have no idea they were coming until they were already on top of them. The Pallet Pidgeys swarmed overhead, splitting in half to fly around the town so as not to alert any Rocket United troops prematurely.

Gary had a stern look on his face. He was brimming with determination, as was Ash. This was their home town, and for them this attack was personal. CJ had deliberately sent them to the west and centre of the town, knowing that their family's houses were in the east. Gary marched onward, leading Surge and Sabrina, then halted as they encountered the first group of Rocket grunts.

"Don't attack yet," Surge ordered. "We need them to alert all their friends first. We don't wanna march right past them and get attacked from behind."

Gary's Blastoise was eager to fight, and it took all his discipline to stay put and not let loose a massive Hydro Pump. The grunts rushed off into some nearby houses, appearing a minute or so later with some more grunts, who looked as though they'd just woken up. Some ran off to the north, but three of them stayed behind to fight. They released a Crobat, an Arcanine and an Vileplume. Gary grinned.

"Alright, Blastoise," he yelled enthusiastically. "Showtime. Give 'em a Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise grinned the same way Gary did as he let loose a powerful pair of blasts that smashed the Crobat and Vileplume, sending them tumbling backwards and even splashed the Arcanine in the centre a little. The Arcanine winced as the water splashed off of the other two Shadow Pokémon, but stayed put.

"Arcanine, Fire Blast!"

"Counter with a Water Gun, Blastoise!" Gary shouted.

The Water Gun attack hit home, putting out the flames just enough that they didn't hit anyone, while Surge and Sabrina prepared for their own attacks.

"Psychic, Alakazam," Sabrina said calmly. "Hold the other two in place."

Alakazam telekinetically lifted the Vileplume and Crobat, all while inflicting powerful psychic damage which had the two Shadow Pokémon screaming in pain as they floated helplessly back towards the Arcanine.

"Raichu, Thunder attack!" Surge bellowed.

Surge's powerful Raichu gathered up his power, taking a few moments before unleashing a brutal electrical storm that struck all three Shadow Pokémon as they stayed perfectly still, held immobile by the amazing psychic power of Sabrina's Alakazam. They tried desperately to escape the blast, but Raichu's Thunder attack kept going, and they were unable to do anything about it. After Raichu's attack subsided, only the Arcanine was left standing.

"Finish it off, Blastoise," Gary commanded. "Water Pulse!"

Blastoise leant backwards before heaving forwards again, letting loose a projectile water blast that struck Arcanine dead-on and sent it skidding along the ground and into its trainer. The Rocket United grunt fell face-forwards over the top of Arcanine and into the ground.

"Alakazam, hold one of the grunts," Sabrina ordered as she herself held the one that tripped over.

The third grunt escaped, running north as fast as he could, not even bothering to return his Vileplume.

"Quick!" Gary yelled. "He's getting away!"

"Let him go," Surge told him. "He can tell his friends about us."

They rushed forwards and tied up the other two grunts and made sure their Pokémon were really down for the count, then moved onwards. Gary and Sabrina noticed people watching from their windows, peaking through their curtains. One opened a door slightly and shouted to him.

"Gary! What's going on?" the woman asked.

"Stay in your home," Gary warned her. "We'll let you know when it's safe to come out."

"Are you three _crazy?_" she exclaimed. "You'll get us all killed!"

"I said stay inside!" he yelled back. "You wanna be a prisoner in your own home forever?"

"You can thank us later," Sabrina added flatly. "This'll all be over soon."

The woman did as she was told, although reluctantly. She shook her head and slammed the door behind her.

"What's _her_ issue?" Sabrina asked.

"These people, they're scared," Surge told her. "They prefer the devil they know to the devil they don't."

"Pallet's a quiet town," Gary added. "Nothing much happens here. Excitement's not really our forte. Surge is right: they'd rather be held by the Rockets and kept under curfew and not risk being hurt, than have a bunch of heroes run through the town and possibly risk their safety."

"How pathetic," Sabrina spat. "They'd die in chains."

"Why do you think Ash and I left when we were ten?" Gary shrugged.

"You and Ketchum aren't made of the same stuff," Surge noted. "You two are _real_ trainers. You were never meant to stay long in a place like this."

"This is still my home, though," Gary reminded him. "As much as they may frustrate me, they're still my people, and they still deserve to be free, even if they don't know it."

"Sounds like my life story," Surge laughed. "You should really try the army, Oak."

Gary grinned as they dragged the two grunts out of sight, then continued on. Surge kept an eye on the road behind them in case any more came that they didn't see, but none did. Eventually, about a mile further down the road they encountered a road block with six grunts, three Machamps, a Golem, and another Vileplume and Crobat.

"Finally, something to keep me awake," Surge grinned, making sure the grunts could hear him.

"We're gonna wipe that smile off your enormous face, Surge," the grunt who'd ran away retorted.

"Is that what you were doing when you bolted like a coward?" Gary smirked. "'Cause it looked like you were scared from here."

"You can shut your face, Oak," he shouted back, getting angrier. "We know who you are."

"Good," Gary replied. "Then later you can tell all your little friends my name when they ask whose boots are stuck up your ass."

The grunt's face went bright red with rage as the normally stone-cold Sabrina accidentally spat out a giggle.

"Time to die, Oak," the grunt screamed. "I'll fucking kill you myself!"

"Show me what you've got, and I'll show you my Blastoise," Gary grinned widely.

Lieutenant Surge smiled evilly as Gary's confidence and Raichu's sparking electric sacs got him worked up for battle. Sabrina's Alakazam stood side by side with Raichu and Blastoise, all three Pokémon ready to attack at a moment's notice. Sabrina looked to Surge, who nodded to her and Gary. Sabrina nodded back.

"Alakazam, Telekinesis!"

All the Shadow Pokémon were simultaneously lifted off the ground. Alakazam clapped its hands together, and they were all smashed together into a bundle.

"This won't hold forever," she warned Gary and Surge.

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump!'

"Raichu, wait for it, then Thunder!"

The levitating pile of Shadow Pokémon were struck with a powerful Hydro Pump attack first that was increased in force by the fact that Alakazam held them in place. Shortly afterwards, Raichu blasted them with an enormously powerful Thunder attack, made all the stronger by their increased conductivity from Blastoise's Hydro Pump. Alakazam let them go just as the Thunder attack hit, sending them flying away from each other as if propelled by magnetism.

"Alakazam, Confusion!" Sabrina shouted.

Despite Alakazam's incredible power, the Confusion attack simply wasn't powerful enough against Shadow Pokémon, especially six at a time. They all marched onwards towards Blastoise, Raichu and Alakazam as if unaffected.

"Raichu, Thunder Wave!"

Raichu stepped forwards and zapped all six of them simultaneously with a wide electric attack that stopped them all in their tracks, if only temporarily.

"Normal Pokémon couldn't take these kinds of attacks," Surge gritted his teeth. "The Confusion attack would have stopped them, let alone Thunder Wave."

"They've slowed down though," Gary pointed. "Look!"

Surge nodded as he saw it too.

"You're right, Oak," he said. "Now it's _your _turn."

"Alright, Blastoise, hit 'em with a Scald attack!"

Blastoise's cannons glowed red as he arched his back, preparing the attack. Scald wasn't an attack so easily used, even by water Pokémon. It took time to heat the water up, even by a water Pokémon as powerful as Gary's Blastoise. After several more tense moments, he was ready.

The water blasted out of his cannons seemingly with more power than normal attacks. Gary always put it down to the heat of the water producing slightly more energy. The attack spouted forth in a fan shape, hitting all six Pokémon and a couple of the grunts as well. The grunts screamed, and the Shadow Pokémon rolled around in pain for a few moments. The three Machamps were finished, but the Golem, Vileplume and Crobat got back up again. The pain didn't last, and they only seemed angrier.

"Golem, Rollout attack!"

"Vileplume, Petal Dance!"

"Crobat, Supersonic!"

The triple-pronged attack made even Surge's eyes widen. There was nowhere to run – either way, Blastoise, Raichu and Alakazam were going to be hit by at least one of them. The whirlwind of razor-sharp leaves struck first, blinding them to Golem's Rollout. Alakazam managed to prevent the Supersonic attack from having any effect, but it too was struck by the Pedal Dance. Suddenly Golem rolled through and took out Raichu, Alakazam and Blastoise in one sweep.

Raichu and Blastoise managed to get back up, but Alakazam was done. The focus it had required to cancel out Crobat's Supersonic meant it hadn't even tried to shield itself from the Shadow Pokémon's attacks, and took the absolute full force. Sabrina returned Alakazam, then sent out her Espeon.

"That wasn't so bad," Gary tried to convince himself.

"One Pokémon down, two almost down, I'd say that was pretty brutal," Surge frowned fiercely. "Next hit will take out Blastoise _and_ Raichu. Maybe permanently."

"Our next attack has to be final," Sabrina told them. "We need something devastating. We can't let them use another Pokémon after this."

"Target your attacks on an individual Shadow Pokémon," Surge ordered. "Aiming at all three each time won't cut it."

"Alright," Gary affirmed. "Blastoise, Hydro Pump that Golem!"

"Raichu, Thunder attack the Crobat!"

"Espeon, use Psychic on Vileplume."

Blastoise struck the rolling Golem hard enough that it was instantly forced backwards, then Blastoise ramped up the intensity and sent it rolling straight into its trainer. The trainer screamed in pain as his left leg was crushed, shortly before the Golem rolled at full speed straight into a tree. The tree was knocked over, snapped on impact across the trunk, and the Golem was knocked out cold.

Raichu's Thunder attack was powerful enough to blast the Crobat across the landscape about a hundred feet. There was no way it was getting back up after that, and Surge was confident enough not to bother checking.

Espeon's Psychic attack was surprisingly powerful, possibly more powerful than even Alakazam's. Vileplume was raised slightly into the air, shaking violently and protesting madly. In a matter of seconds it was over, and Vileplume was out cold. The only one not surprised was Sabrina, who allowed herself a smirk.

"Raichu, paralyse them," Surge ordered.

Raichu blasted the five Rocket grunts who could still walk with a Thunder Wave, just as they tried to run. They all fell to the ground, spasming involuntarily. The three of them ran over to the Rocket grunts and quickly tied them up, returning their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and keeping them all out of reach. They made their way onwards to the north, knowing they weren't far from the edge of town.

"Hey!" the broken legged grunt yelled to them as they marched on. "You can't just leave me here! My leg is broken, please, can't you help?"

Gary stomped his way up to the grunt and put his foot on the broken leg, making him scream in agony.

"I'll help by giving you a warning," Gary frowned. "Get your friends and get out of my town. There won't be a second warning, and there won't be any mercy."

He walked off again, joined by an equally unsympathetic Surge and Sabrina, making their way to the edge of town as the grunt yelled and begged.

* * *

"Something's not right," Ash said to Amber and Blaine.

"I know what you mean," Amber agreed with a nod. "This is too easy."

"They almost killed us," Blaine argued. "This isn't easy."

"They _should_ have killed us," Ash snapped. "There were _six_ of them. There should have been twelve."

"Pallet Town's not worth having that many grunts," Blaine countered. "Your people are lazy, they don't fight back. No resistance, no point having lots of troops."

"They know we're here," Amber told him. "They should be trying to stop us. This is a pretty standard group of Rocket grunts. Ash is right. If they were really serious about stopping us, there'd be dozens of them."

"Well this guy makes seven," Blaine gestured towards another grunt approaching them.

"Go, Machamp!" the grunt yelled.

"Oh great, another Machamp," Ash rolled his eyes. "Charizard, Sky Attack."

Charizard flew up into the air and swooped down on the Machamp, knocking it over easily. Blaine's Magmortar stepped forward then.

"Magmortar, Flamethrower," Blaine commanded.

Magmortar spat out a massive burst of flames that roasted the Machamp, but didn't quite knock it out.

"Ninetales, Quick Attack!"

Amber's Ninetales sprinted forward and smashed into the Machamp, and this time it went down. The grunt reached for another Pokéball, but Ninetales pounced on him.

"Move, and Ninetales turns you into a well-done Rocket steak," Amber warned him.

The grunt growled in frustration, but did as he was told. Amber stepped up and tied his hands behind his back, then punched him in the kidneys for good measure.

"Bitch!" he shouted angrily.

Amber punched him again, this time even harder, and the grunt let out a cry of pain.

"You're Amber Gibson, aren't you?" the grunt laughed. "My brother told me all about you. You ran away after you failed to capture the Waterflower girl. You're pathetic."

"You must really like pissing blood," Amber growled as she punched him again.

"You have a short memory, bitch," the grunt laughed even as he cried out in pain. "Look at my face. You know who my brother is, don't you?"

Amber's eyes widened in surprise and anger as she realised what he was talking about. She recognised him; he looked just like another grunt that she'd met at the old Rocket Headquarters in Celadon City. The grunt laughed raucously as he realised she remembered.

"Weak," he spat. "Weak and pathetic. You're a traitor, Gibson."

"I crushed your brother and escaped," she hissed. "He couldn't even prevent a tied-up one-twenty-pound girl from getting away."

"Didn't stop him from having his way with you though," the grunt grinned. "He said you were a sweet piece of ass, for a traitor and a slut."

Amber's face burned with rage. She spun the grunt around and headbutted him in the nose, plastering it all over his face. The grunt screamed in agony as he fell to the ground. Amber knelt down astride him, grabbing his throat in her left hand and punching him repeatedly in the face with her right.

"Amber!" Ash cried out, grabbing her and wrenching her off him.

"Let me go, Ash!" she screamed. "His brother raped me. Now he's taunting me about it."

Ash let go of her, then looked down at her with a profound sense of sadness.

"I had no idea…I'm sorry…"

He grabbed the Rocket himself and lifted him to his feet, then latched onto his throat with his left hand. The grunt laughed some more.

"You think that's funny, do you?" Ash snarled. "Well I'm gonna wipe that smile off your slimy face _permanently_."

"You think you're pretty tough, Ketchum," the grunt sneered. "Untie my hands and we'll see what you can _really_ do."

"I'll take it from here," another grunt said.

Amber flinched, then started backing away. Ash grabbed her wrist and held it.

"That's him," she whimpered. "What _he_ doing here?"

"Thanks to your little stunt, I got demoted to guard duty," the grunt's brother explained, an angry snarl on his face. "Now maybe I can get some payback."

"Payback?!" Amber cried. "After what you did, you think you need _payback?_"

"You two stay out of this," he told Ash and Blaine. "This is between Gibson and me."

"Uh-uh, no way," Ash stood firm. "We have a job to do. You can't beat us, so get out of the way."

"Ash," Amber insisted. "Stay out of this."

"Fine," Ash gave in. "But make it quick. I said something was wrong, and we don't have time to mess around."

"Oh, it'll be quick," Amber insisted.

The grunt grinned, then rushed at her, grabbing her by the shoulders while sweeping her feet out from under her. She landed heavily on her back and cried out in pain. The grunt knelt down on top of her and tried to punch her in the face, but Amber's hands shot up and blocked him. Angered, the grunt grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. Amber struggled, but the grunt was a lot stronger than her and she couldn't wriggle free.

"That was easy," he gloated. "You're even more pathetic than I remember."

Amber rolled backwards and snatched the guard's neck between her ankles, using her momentum to pull him backwards. He let go of her neck and fell off her, crying out as his knees were bent at an unnatural angle. Amber rolled away to her side, kicking him in the back on her way up to her feet. The grunt also started getting to his feet, but Amber kneed him in the chin, smashing his teeth together, then kicked him in the face.

This just seemed to make him even angrier, and he punched her hard in the face. Amber cried out as she fell onto her back, and the grunt once again knelt down on top of her.

"At least you've got a little more spirit than you did before," he muttered.

"I've got moves, too," she grunted.

She swung a leg up around his chest and swept him backwards again, then crossed her ankles. She gripped his chest tightly between her legs as he tried in vain to pull them apart. She reached down and grabbed his legs, holding them together with her arms.

"You tried this last time," the grunt sniggered. "It didn't work. You have to squeeze my neck, remember? And I'm not letting you do that again."

"I'm not trying to knock you out," Amber hissed. "If you're lucky, you'll walk away with some broken ribs. If _I'm_ lucky, I might cause some internal bleeding and it'll be a long, slow, painful death for you."

"You're dreaming, bitch," he laughed. "You can't hurt me."

Amber clenched her butt and squeezed her thighs together tightly. The grunt howled in pain as Amber felt his ribs bend. He struggled to get a breath in as she compressed his whole chest. Blaine and Ash grinned and cheered as Amber clearly had gained the upper hand.

"Squeeze him in half, Amber!" Ash encouraged her.

"No…_don't_…you're…hurting…me…" the grunt begged.

"I thought you said I _couldn't_ hurt you?" Amber mocked him.

"_Pleeeeeease!_"

"Fuck you," she yelled at him. "After what you did to me, you get _no_ mercy. _No _chance of walking away from this. I'll see you in _hell!_"

She clenched up as tightly as she could, squeezing with all her might. His ribs bent even more, then gave way. He screamed in agony, in short bursts, wheezing between breaths. She squeezed again, and the grunt moaned in terror as he felt his shattered ribs puncturing some internal organs. She finally let him go, making sure to tie his hands behind his back before she got up.

"I thought you'd kill him," Ash said.

"He'll die, he won't survive that," she said coldly.

"Well, since he can barely breathe," Blaine said irritably, "we'll have to question his brother, here."

He walked over to the other grunt, whose smile had long since faded. Blood was freely running down his face from his broken nose, and he recoiled as Amber approached.

"You're crazy," he told her. "Stay away from me!"

"Unless you wanna end up like your bastard of a brother, I suggest you tell me something useful," she threatened him.

"I don't know anything, I swear!"

"You don't get it, do you," Ash warned him. "You saw what she just did. She doesn't care if you live or die. If you want to _live_, then talk to us."

"Don't hurt me," he wailed, trying to wriggle away from Amber.

"Keep dodging our questions and I'll do _more_ than just _hurt_ you," she hissed.

She put her heels on his throat and stood on it with all her weight. The grunt desperately tried to roll away, his face quickly turning red.

"Tell us what your plan is," Ash demanded.

"Fine!" the grunt squeaked. "Just get off me!"

"_After_ you tell us," Amber snarled.

"Pallet…is just a…diversion…"

"For what?" Amber asked. "_Tell_ me!"

"Oak's…ranch…"

"But how?" Blaine asked. "We attacked from the south. We would have seen something."

"No…attack…" the grunt wheezed and spluttered. "Just…one…"

"One _what?!_" Amber spat, but it was too late.

The grunt passed out. Amber got off his neck, kicking him before turning to Ash and Blaine. She activated her earpiece with a quick tap.

"Everyone, come in!" she said with a slight hint of panic. "Pallet Town is just a diversion. One of the Rocket grunts told us. He said it wasn't an attack though. All he said was 'just one', whatever that means."

"_It means there's no attack. It's just one man," _Erika explained. _"It's too late, Brock's already battling him."_

Ash, Blaine and Amber looked at each other in shock.

"They were never _trying _to stop us!" Amber realised. "They just wanted all the trainers away from Oak's ranch!"

Ash tapped his earpiece.

"Everybody back to Oak's place, _now!_" he cried out.

* * *

"Brock, it's good to see you again."

"_Bruno!_" Brock yelled through gritted teeth.

"Brock!" Daisy yelled. "Let us help you!"

"No!" he ordered. "You guys get the Pokémon to a safe distance. Erika, watch the lab, get ready for anything. I'll take care of Bruno myself."

"You can't beat him, Brock," Erika warned him. "He's too powerful."

"Probably, but it'll buy us time until the others get back here," he said. "If I go down, you're our last defence, Erika."

Erika nodded, knowing he was right. "Be careful, and do your best."

Brock turned back to Bruno, who was wearing a broad smile on his enormous head.

"She's right, Brock. You can't beat me."

"We'll just see about that," Brock snarled as he threw a Pokéball. "Go, Ludicolo!"

"Hmph," Bruno grinned. "I thought you were a rock-type trainer."

"Shows how much _you_ know."

"This'll be easy," Bruno mocked him. "I'll even make it more difficult for myself. Go Steelix!"

Bruno's giant Steelix cast an enormous shadow as it stood tall in front of Brock and his comparatively tiny Ludicolo. Brock grunted with determination.

_I might not be able to win this, _he thought,_ but I can at least stop him from destroying the lab and killing all the Pokémon._

"Ludicolo, Giga Drain!"

Ludicolo glowed for a moment as it attempted to gather energy from Steelix. Steelix grunted in discomfort as its energy was drained, but didn't seem all that bothered.

"Steelix, Slam!"

Steelix roared as it fell to the earth, aiming straight for Ludicolo, who leapt out of the way at the last moment.

"Ludicolo, gather your energy for a Solarbeam, and keep dodging!"

Steelix kept slamming itself into the ground, missing Ludicolo by inches each time. Ludicolo gathered as much energy as it could, but with the constant interruptions from Steelix, it was slow going.

"That's it, Ludicolo, keep dodging!"

"That'll never work, Brock," Bruno told him. "Ludicolo can't keep this up."

"Don't tell me what my Pokémon can and can't do," Brock snapped.

Bruno shrugged.

"I'm just trying to tell you, it's easier if you just give up. No one has to get hurt."

"And _I'm_ trying to tell you to mind your own business," Brock snarled. "If you really insisted on not hurting anyone, you wouldn't even be here."

"That's not true," Bruno said as Ludicolo barely dodged another Slam. "I told you before that I'm not interested in hurting things. I just want this world to have the best chance at being prosperous, and that means _we_ have to step in."

"Spare me your political lecture," Brock snapped.

"I tried," Bruno shrugged again. "Steelix, Iron Tail!"

"Ludicolo, now! Solarbeam!"

Steelix swept its giant tail around at an incredible pace, just as Ludicolo spewed out the intense yellow-white light of its Solarbeam attack. The attack hit home, knocking Steelix over, but not before its Iron Tail attack struck Ludicolo, sending it flying across the ranch. It was knocked out cold before it even hit the ground.

"Ludicolo, return!" Brock yelled in frustration. "Your turn, Steelix!"

"Steelix, underground!" Bruno grinned.

"Big mistake," Brock grinned back at him. "Steelix, Earthquake!"

Brock's Steelix leapt into the air, slamming itself into the ground roughly where Bruno's Steelix was, cracking the earth beneath it.

"Again!" Brock yelled. "To your left!"

Brock's Steelix leapt into the air again and repeated the attack. Bruno's Steelix popped its head out of the ground just as Brock's Steelix landed. It roared in pain as the ground compacted around it, knocking it out.

"Excellent attack, Brock!" Erika cheered.

"Well done," Bruno congratulated him as he returned his battered Steelix. "I'm frankly a little surprised that you managed to defeat one of my Pokémon. But now I'm afraid I have to take you down. Go, Hitmonlee!"

_Dammit,_ Brock thought.

"Steelix, return!"

"Hitmonlee, High Jump Kick!"

Brock couldn't return his Steelix in time, and it was struck hard by Hitmonlee's attack. Hard enough that it was knocked out instantly. Brock growled angrily at Bruno, balling his fists.

"That was a dirty move," he spat. "I thought you were better than that."

"This isn't a gym battle, Brock," Bruno frowned. "This is war. I have my own mission to complete. I have to do what's necessary to get it done."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," Brock grunted. "Go, Crobat!"

"Hitmonlee, Rolling Kick!"

"Crobat, Supersonic!"

Hitmonlee rushed forwards, attacking Crobat with spinning kicks, one after the other as it closed in. At this close range, Crobat's Supersonic was totally ineffective. Hitmonlee was moving too much, and much too quickly, making targeting almost impossible. After three spins, Hitmonlee connected twice. Crobat smashed into the ground, struggling to get back up.

"Come on, Crobat! Get up!"

"Your Crobat is finished, Brock," Bruno smirked. "You're being cruel now."

"Shut up, Bruno," Brock yelled. "My Pokémon are dedicated to bringing you down, just as I am."

"You weren't so dedicated after Lorelei went to see you," Bruno taunted.

Brock balled his fists in rage, then relaxed them as he realised Bruno was right.

"She said you were easy to turn. Stupid. Too trusting," he kept taunting him. "She barely had to use any charm on you at all. She told me you melted like butter at just the sight of her."

_Don't let him win, Brock_, he told himself. _This is your chance to make up for your mistake._

He balled his fists again, determined to do all he could to stop Bruno, and not let him get to him.

"Crobat, Poison Fang!"

Crobat used the last of its energy to fly up and bite Hitmonlee on the neck. Hitmonlee swatted Crobat to the ground, knocking it out, but not before Crobat poisoned it.

"Crobat return!" he yelled. "Well done, old friend."

Bruno laughed.

"What a pathetic attempt."

"Swampert, go!" Brock yelled. "Hammer Arm!"

"Hitmonlee, Jump Kick!"

Hitmonlee rushed forwards, but stopped as the poison coursing through its body took its toll. Swampert smashed a heavy arm down on the defenceless Hitmonlee, hammering it into the ground and knocking it out.

"Is that all you've got?" Brock sneered. "I thought an Elite Four trainer would be more of a challenge."

"Be careful what you wish for, Brock," Bruno growled. "Go, Hitmonchan!"

"Swampert, Waterfall!"

Swampert charged at full speed, quickly making its way towards Hitmonchan. Hitmonchan didn't flinch, it didn't move at all.

"Mega Punch!"

Brock's eyes widened as he realised the mistake he'd made, leaving Swampert open to attack. Hitmonchan swung widely, taking a half-step backwards before pummelling the charging Swampert in the belly. Swampert fell to its knees, struggling to regain its breath.

"Sky Uppercut!" Bruno ordered.

Hitmonchan crouched down, then leapt into the air, sending Swampert flying up after it, then crashing back down to the earth in a heap. Swampert was finished. Brock returned it to its Pokéball, then released his Forretress. Bruno started laughing.

"You're finished, Brock," he mocked him. "Your friend Ash, he gave me a decent battle. This is barely worth my time."

"You think you're winning," Brock grinned. "I love it."

"Love _this!_" Bruno yelled. "Fire Punch!"

Hitmonchan rushed forwards and hammered a flaming fist into Forretress, who was sent flying backwards in flames. It rolled helplessly into a tree and was knocked unconscious instantly.

"You never had a chance," Bruno frowned. "And now you only have one Pokémon left. Unless that Pokémon is Mew, you're done."

"Go, Geodude!"

Bruno laughed raucously. Even Hitmonchan started laughing. Brock clenched his fists, determined not to give Bruno an easy victory.

"Geodude, Magnitude!"

Geodude punched the ground with both fists, shaking the earth and toppling Hitmonchan over. Bruno didn't even try to defend.

"Nice, Geodude, now use Stone Edge!"

Bruno stopped laughing as he realised what Brock had done. Using Magnitude had loosened the ground up so Stone Edge would be even more effective. It also meant Geodude could stay at a safe distance from Hitmonchan, preventing it from attacking directly. Brock knew that he had a massive type disadvantage against Bruno's Hitmonchan, and this was the best way to fight against it.

Geodude smashed into the ground and tunnelled, and seconds later Hitmonchan was struck from below with dozens of sharpened rocks. Hitmonchan went down and struggled to get back up.

"Geodude, Rock Slide!"

Geodude punched the ground again, this time lifting a massive rock in each hand before hurling them both at Hitmonchan, then repeating the process several more times. Hitmonchan managed to punch the first two rocks into dust, but lacked the energy to continue, and was pummelled. Brock grinned to himself.

_That should just about do it, I think._

"Not bad," Bruno admitted. "But it's not enough. Time to end this. Machamp, Seismic Toss!"

Bruno returned Hitmonchan and released Machamp in the same instant, and Machamp wasted no time in attacking Geodude, grabbing it and leaping high into the air. It threw Geodude back down to the ground with all four hands, and Geodude was knocked out cold on impact.

"And that's where it ends for you, Brock," Bruno smiled. "You're out of Pokémon, and unless there's anyone else here that wants to get their ass kicked, I believe this place is now _mine_."

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

Bruno turned around in surprise, just in time to see Ash's Pikachu shocking Machamp unconscious in a single hit.

"What?!" he exclaimed.

"And again, Pikachu!"

"Pika…_CHUUUUUU!_"

Bruno protested as he put his arms up in defence of his face, but all in vain as he was shocked unconscious as well. Brock looked up to see Ash, Misty, Amber, Gary, Surge, Bella, Blaine, James and Sabrina standing in front of the lab, with a very proud-looking Pikachu in front of them.

"Gary, tie him up," Misty told him. "You might have to use a few cable ties on him, he's pretty strong."

"With pleasure," Gary grinned.

As Gary finished, Bruno stirred awake. He rolled over, quickly realising that he had been restrained, then got to his feet.

"You think you've won?" he muttered. "There are still two of us left, and an entire _army_ of Rockets. You've done nothing here but delay the inevitable."

Ash stepped forwards, getting right in Bruno's face. He snorted at the much smaller young man, but Ash stood his ground. He took Bruno's Pokéballs off of him, then passed them back to Gary.

"Those are mine, kid," he boomed angrily.

"Not anymore," Ash told him fiercely. "You come into _my_ town, threaten _my_ people…after the things you've done, you don't _deserve_ to be a trainer."

"You've lost your honour," Brock spat. "You can't be a trainer anymore. We won't let you."

Bruno laughed loudly.

"You have _no right _to lecture me about _honour_, Brock," he spat. "After Lorelei so easily manipulated you, you will forever be a weakling. Prey. You're _nothing_."

"Brock has regained his honour," Erika said with a rare raised voice. "He fought bravely against impossible odds, with no consideration for his own safety. He protected us against you. Brock is a hero. _You're _the one who's nothing."

"You can rot here," Gary told him. "You can rot alongside your little friend Lorelei. Once this is over, you can spend the rest of your life atoning for what you've done."

"You step into _my_ home town, you pay the price," Ash snarled, then spat in Bruno's face. "I'm just upset I didn't get to kick your ass myself. Oh wait, _I did_, and you ran away like a _coward_."

Bruno grinned, confusing Ash and all the others.

"You haven't won," he sniggered. "You've all been fools. Lieutenant, kill them."

Surge grinned as he and his Raichu stepped forward. Bruno started laughing as Surge's Raichu got into position.

"Raichu, Thunderbolt!"

Raichu powered up, and Pikachu stood up on his tail to avoid the blast. A bright flash erupted from Raichu's cheeks and shot out at the speed of light, crackling with energy. After the flash subsided, Ash and the others opened their eyes to see what had happened. Pikachu relaxed and got back onto his feet, blinking several times to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"What a jackass," Surge smirked. "Take him away."

Sabrina grinned as she lifted the unconscious Bruno with her telekinetic powers, taking him into Oak's makeshift holding cells, where they were holding Lorelei. Suddenly Vermillion Jenny came rushing out of the lab.

"You guys better get in here," she said. "You're gonna want to hear this."

They all rushed inside after her and gathered around an old radio transmitter.

"Okay, they're here," Vermillion Jenny said into the handpiece. "Say your piece."

"_So you've beaten two of my Elite Four trainers,"_ the voice said.

"Lance," Misty muttered.

"_There are still two of us left, and an army. You can't win. But I'm not completely without a sense of fairness. I'll allow you one chance to beat us. Take it or leave it, I don't care. Either way, this world will be mine."_

"Well, at least it's not a trap," Gary said sarcastically.

"_Bring two trainers to Lavender Town, and three to Indigo Plateau. Any more than that, and you will be shot down on sight by my Rocket troops. If you abide by my rules, they will not harm you. If you do not arrive by eight in the evening, we will abandon our posts and accelerate our plans. You've been given my ultimatum. I will see you tomorrow evening, or you will all die."_

The signal went dead, and Vermillion Jenny put the handpiece back into its cradle.

"Why would he want us to bring multiple trainers with us?" Ash asked.

"Arrogance," Amber told him. "They know they can defeat any one of us by ourselves."

"We're not seriously considering this, are we?" Brock asked. "It's so obviously a trap."

"Maybe," James deduced. "But we don't really have a choice."

"He's right," Misty agreed. "This might be our only chance to beat them. We take them out, we're cutting the head off the Seviper. We can't pass this up."

"What if we arrive, and there's ten thousand Rocket grunts?" Brock countered.

"Then what difference does a battle with Agatha and Lance make?" Amber replied. "They'll wanna test themselves against us first. They won't have their Rocket troops attack us straight away."

"We'll need an exit strategy too though," Ash noted. "In case we win and they all attack us, we'll still need to get away."

"Leave that to us," Surge said, gesturing at himself, Bella and Blaine.

"Then who's battling?" Brock asked. "I'd love to, but I think my Pokémon could use a break after today. Plus, I don't think I'm really in the same league as those guys."

"We'll need to send our best trainers to do the battling," CJ said. "The rest of us will need to go along separately and stay hidden, to make sure the Rockets don't try anything. And we need to think about whose Pokémon have the best chance, too. It's no good sending Sabrina to battle Agatha, for example. Her psychic Pokémon won't have a chance. I think Ash, Misty, Gary and Amber should go."

"Gary and I can take Agatha," Erika offered. "Gary's Pokémon are powerful, and he has his Umbreon. Neither of us has any weakness to ghost-types either. We fight well as a team."

CJ nodded. "I agree. That leaves Misty, Ash and Amber to battle Lance. You think you're up for it?"

Misty nodded. "We can take him down."

"Is everyone sure about this?" CJ asked. "Once we're committed, there won't be any turning back. Brock?"

Brock shook his head.

"I don't like this, but like Misty said, we have to give it a try."

"Get some rest then, everyone," CJ told them. "You're gonna need it. I don't need to remind anyone here of the stakes."

The group dispersed, returning to their respective quarters. Surge stayed behind a few moments longer, and CJ looked him right in the eyes. She nodded at him, then saluted. Surge smiled, then saluted in return before making his way out of the room too.


	11. Gary & Erika vs Agatha

There were a few obvious signs of Rocket United activity in Lavender Town as Erika and Gary flew over it, but not as much as they thought. They'd been expecting it to be swarming with grunts, but apart from a few strategically placed Electivires and Cloysters and their usual complement of Rocket United troops, it really wasn't as bad as they'd expected.

"Which can only mean one thing," Gary extrapolated.

"That they aren't expecting Agatha to lose to us?" Erika offered.

"Which can only mean two things," Gary corrected himself with a grin. "They have hidden troops in case we try anything sneaky."

"Gary, what will happen to us if we actually win?"

Erika looked genuinely worried, but Gary smiled back at her, somewhat putting her at ease.

"Let's just worry about one problem at a time, okay?" he answered. "As long as we beat Agatha, we've done our job. Even if we go down too, we've still had a major victory."

"Then we should be prepared to die out here?" Erika asked, with a tear forming in each eye.

It may have been the wind from flying through the air on a Pidgeot, but Gary knew better.

"One problem at a time," he said again. "As long as we neutralise Agatha, we're helping open up a path through this darkness."

"I think if we defeat her, I'll be okay with dying," she smiled, the tears now flowing across her face, buffeted by the wind.

"Erika, don't say that –"

"–but there's something I want to say first," she continued, smiling even more warmly. "I really do like you, Gary. I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk about…us…but if we're going to possibly lay down our lives today, then I wanted you to know."

Gary's heart skipped a beat, then started pounding in his chest. His feet and hands tingled. He smiled back at her; he'd been wanting to hear words to that effect for some time now.

"Then let's not die," he said, trying to sound as confident as he possibly could. "We have something important to live for now."

Erika wiped the tears from her eyes, nodding back at him as more tears began to flow. Gary looked across the landscape at Pokémon Tower, and noticed a single figure in the area of town around it. He couldn't see any Rocket United troops, or their Pokémon, but he knew they were there.

"Looks like she's waiting for us, as promised," Gary noted. "It's almost eight now. You ready?"

Erika nodded, wiping more tears from her eyes and putting on a serious face.

"As I'll ever be. Let's do it."

They went in for a landing, the Pidgeot calmly setting down near the tower while Gary and Erika tried to spot any hidden enemies.

"Stay out of Lavender Town, okay?" Gary told the Pidgeot. "It's not safe for you here. There are Rocket troops all over the place, and they'll attack you if anything goes wrong. We'll call for you when it's safe."

The Pidgeot acknowledged him, then flew west, back the way they came from, towards Saffron City and out of sight. Gary took a deep breath as he recognised the lone figure as Agatha. Even though she was old and very small, seemingly harmless, she exuded a fearsome aura that made both Gary and Erika feel cold as they came closer. They warily walked over to her, moving slowly and carefully in case there were any traps, or anything else they needed to notice. Spotlights began to turn on as they made their way over, one after another, gradually lighting up the whole area.

"Where's the audience?" Gary asked, attempting to sound cocky.

"I would think you'd have preferred it dark," Erika said to Agatha.

"Oh, I would," Agatha grinned. "But I don't need any help defeating you two. I thought, since it's such a long way over, I'd make this battle worth all our efforts in getting here."

"I didn't think consideration for others was big in the Elite Four these days," Gary said flatly.

"Au contraire, Mr Oak," she said as her expression became serious as well. "Our concern is for the big picture. All these corrupt governments, corrupt police, even the corrupt Pokémon League, have made this world a shadow of what it used to be. It's only with our help that it can prosper again. We will lead everyone into an age of wealth and integrity the likes of which have never been seen before."

"So murder, repression, slavery, theft and rape are all just a means to an end?" Gary frowned. "Gotta take the good with the bad, right?"

"Your cynicism is unwelcome," Agatha sighed. "You cannot see. You are young, and foolish, and naïve. I have lived my entire life witnessing ruling powers destroy everything good about this world. I won't let that keep happening."

Erika's jaw was clenched shut and her face was slowly turning red with anger. She stepped towards Agatha, putting herself directly in the path of a spotlight ahead of her, so Agatha could see her face more clearly.

"What part of the 'good' in this world is maintained by transforming an entire gym full of Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon slaves?" Erika shouted. "Or capturing and enslaving any trainers who pose a threat to you? Wives, daughters, sons, brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers…friends…all lost forever. Where's the 'good', Agatha? _Tell me!_"

Agatha shook her head, a dismissive smile on her face.

"I could never explain it to one such as yourself," Agatha quipped. "You can never understand the bigger picture, the forces at work here. You fail to grasp the significance of our work, of our plan."

"Then allow _me_ to explain it for you," Gary stepped forward with a sneer on his face. "You were becoming less relevant to everyone. Your authority wasn't being recognised, your fame was being eroded, the prestige of the Elite Four is _fading_. You're a bunch of prima donnas, living in the past, too entitled to do any real work, too arrogant to be constructive. You wanted your power back, but why stop there? You're the _Elite Four_. Why not make everyone in the world fear you? Just _take_ what you want from people who can't defend themselves. Because nothing says 'strength' like an army of criminals invading peaceful civilian towns and cities, armed with artificially evolved, super-powered Shadow Pokémon, right?"

Agatha gritted her teeth, growling at them in anger as Gary spoke. Her hands reached down to her waist as she grabbed a pair of Pokéballs and held them at the ready. Gary and Erika did the same, waiting for the moment Agatha released her first Pokémon.

"Your insolence is shameful," Agatha growled. "I will beat it out of you. It's time for you to witness the true power of the Elite Four."

"I can't wait to pound that smug look off your withered face," Erika frowned.

Agatha released her Arbok. It slithered around her ankles before coiling and standing upright in front of her. Erika released her Exeggutor, Gary his Nidoking. They both stood strong in front of Arbok, looking like a total mismatch, but all three trainers knew it was far from it. Despite having two type advantages over the poison-type Arbok, Gary knew it would take everything their two Pokémon have to even come close to taking it down.

"Exeggutor, Psychic!"

Exeggutor's heads glowed as it concentrated, but it seemed to have no effect. Arbok remained coiled and at the ready, its tongue flickering in and out of its mouth, seemingly undeterred. Erika gasped and took a backward step.

"What's going on?" she squealed.

Gary frowned as he tried to figure it out, deciding to stall Agatha while he thought about it.

"Nidoking, Drill Run!"

Nidoking charged at Arbok, leaping forwards into a spin as it got close, aiming its horn directly at Arbok's face. Arbok sprung into the air, deftly dodging the attack, and Nidoking tumbled onto the ground. It turned around and made a second pass, this time catching Arbok as it landed. Arbok hissed as it was knocked away, but coiled back up again, still more or less unhurt.

"Arbok, Gunk Shot!" Agatha snarled.

Arbok reared back and spat out a wad of goo straight at Nidoking, hitting it in the face. Nidoking quickly wiped it away, but it burned, and it was in a lot of trouble. Gary's jaw dropped.

"One attack! It shouldn't even be effective against Nidoking!"

Agatha grinned back at him, looking all the more sinister with the spotlight coming from behind her.

"Now you begin to see how futile your resistance is," she said. "This world will be _ours_, and there's nothing you can do. Serve us, and we will be merciful. Resist, and the punishment will be severe."

"_Quiet!_" Gary yelled angrily. "I'm trying to think!"

Agatha growled, furious that Gary would dare tell her to be quiet.

"Fine!" she shouted. "No more messing around. Time for you and your Pokémon to _die! _Arbok, Giga Impact!"

Gary's eyes lit up as he realised what was happening. He grabbed Erika's wrist, and she immediately turned to face him.

"Hold it still with a Psychic attack," he told her.

"It won't work!" she cried out.

"Just _do _it!" he yelled.

"Exeggutor, Psychic!"

The charging Arbok was halted immediately, but it still wasn't taking any damage.

"It isn't working!" Erika told Gary. "I _told_ you it wouldn't work!"

"Oh, it's working," he grinned. "Now, Nidoking! Fissure attack!"

Nidoking concentrated hard for a moment, then leapt into the air and landed heavily, side-on to Arbok. The ground cracked, and the crack got wider as it quickly approached the frozen Arbok. Agatha's eyes bulged as she watched her Arbok get swallowed up by the ground. Gary grinned at Erika, who was shaking her head in disbelief.

"How did you know that would work?" she asked.

"Our attacks aren't working, we needed to do something drastic," he explained. "Remember when Arbok was coiled up and waiting? Arboks don't coil up like that unless they're raising their defence and attack."

"Very good, young Mr Oak," Agatha snarled. "But you're as cocky as your silly grandfather, and nowhere near as smart."

"What?!" he spat.

"Arbok, Iron Tail!"

Arbok leapt out of the fissure, striking Nidoking in the head with its tail, knocking it straight to the ground. Nidoking was dazed, and struggled to get back to its feet. Gary growled in frustration as he willed Nidoking to get back up again.

"Exeggutor, Hypnosis!" Erika yelled.

Exeggutor's heads glowed again, and Arbok began to sway slightly, but Agatha was quick.

"Arbok, Dig!"

Arbok immediately stopped looking at Exeggutor and started tunnelling underground to escape the Hypnosis. Nidoking finally got back to its feet again, but was still a little woozy.

"Alright, Nidoking!" he cheered. "Now, one more attack! Give us your best Earthquake!"

Nidoking leapt into the air again, this time landing with its feet slightly apart, shaking the ground. Unsatisfied, Nidoking did it again. Exeggutor fell over, taking a bit of damage itself, while Arbok desperately tried to tunnel back to the surface. Nidoking tried to listen out for Arbok, but couldn't hear too well after being hit with Iron Tail.

"To your left, Nidoking!" Gary told him.

Nidoking turned to its left and took a few steps just as Arbok burst out of the ground, looking as though it had finally taken some serious damage.

"Nidoking, Mega Punch!"

Nidoking swung a powerful roundhouse that collected Arbok right in the face, sending it flying through the air. It skidded along the ground for a dozen feet after landing, this time unable to get back up again. Nidoking and Exeggutor both collapsed as well, and all three trainers recalled their Pokémon.

"Hmph," Agatha said angrily. "Let's see how you do against a ghost, then. Go, Marowak!"

"That's a _Marowak?_" Erika asked.

"If you spent more time _learning_, and less time sleeping, you'd know all about the Alolan variations," Agatha sneered.

"It's a fire and ghost type," Gary told Erika. "Stick to special attacks."

Agatha growled angrily again. She wasn't expecting Gary to know anything about the Alolan variations, and thought she'd brought a trump card.

"Blastoise, go!" Gary yelled as he released his second-oldest Pokémon.

Erika thought for a moment, then released her Victreebel.

"How predictable," Agatha laughed. "This will be easy."

Gary looked at Erika's Victreebel, and although he knew it was very strong, he also knew it wouldn't stand a chance against Agatha's Marowak.

_I've gotta keep that Marowak away from Victreebel, or it's toast._

"Blastoise, Water Pulse!"

Blastoise reared back, then heaved forwards again, blasting out a hefty Water Pulse that shot out with incredible speed towards Marowak, but Marowak simply ducked and avoided the attack entirely. Suddenly it burst into flames, and charged straight at Victreebel.

"Victreebel, Bullet Seed!" Erika cried out desperately as Marowak charged onwards.

The seeds were launched like a submachine gun, faster than almost any Bullet Seed Gary had seen before, but it was no use. The seeds burned up as soon as they got near Marowak, and it kept charging onwards. Marowak struck Victreebel with a shoulder charge, setting it alight and sailing backwards. Victreebel was down and out.

"Oh dear…" Erika mumbled. "That's quite bad…"

"Recall it, quick!" Gary shouted, then turned to Blastoise. "Hydro Pump, Blastoise! Trace it!"

Blastoise braced himself, then launched a powerful Hydro Pump. Marowak ducked it again, easily avoiding it, but Blastoise kept following. Marowak's dodging was incredible, and Gary couldn't believe Blastoise was having such a hard time hitting it. Eventually Blastoise struck home with a glancing blow that knocked Marowak's shoulder, spinning it around.

"Go, Tangrowth!" Erika cried out as she launched another Pokéball.

"Marowak, Flare Blitz again!" Agatha grinned.

Marowak burst into flames once more, charging straight towards Tangrowth. Erika's eyes widened in horror as she understood what Agatha was doing: eliminating Erika's Pokémon with the one Pokémon she knew Erika was incapable of defeating.

"Tangrowth, Sleep Powder!" Erika yelled desperately. "Quickly!"

Tangrowth shook itself, dusting the air with tiny spores, then leapt aside. Marowak charged straight through the spores, the air crackling as the spores were exposed to the flames enveloping Marowak's body. The air briefly caught fire as Marowak emerged through the other side, and Tangrowth was launched into the air, set alight as Victreebel had been.

"Tangrowth, return!" Erika said in frustration as she recalled Tangrowth to its Pokéball, preparing another.

"Blastoise, Earthquake!"

Without Erika's Pokémon around, Blastoise was able to shake the ground freely, only damaging Agatha's Marowak. Marowak lost its footing and fell heavily as the ground opened up slightly beneath it. Its foot got stuck, and it tried in vain to pry it loose.

"Hydro Pump!"

Blastoise quickly let loose another Hydro Pump, this time hitting Marowak square in the face, but after the last extended Hydro Pump, Blastoise's power was still slightly down. Marowak looked close to defeat now, but the Hydro Pump had softened the ground up sufficiently for it to remove its foot from the small fissure.

"Bellossom, go!" Erika yelled. "Use Stun Spore!"

Bellossom started dancing around Marowak, spreading stun spores everywhere it went. Marowak burst into flames again, standing perfectly still.

"Bonemerang, Marowak!" Agatha ordered. "And keep that flame lit!"

Marowak threw its flaming bone, making sure it stayed perfectly still in the centre of the stun spores as the air began to crackle and burn around it. The flames seemed to prevent the stun spore from having much of an effect, but keeping itself lit was draining Marowak's strength.

The flaming bone shot out towards Bellossom, striking it in its side and knocking it to the ground. Part of Bellossom caught fire, and it shrieked in pain as it rolled around on the ground, trying to put itself out. Marowak's flames weren't normal though, and try as it might, Bellossom couldn't put itself out.

"Blastoise, Hydro Pump one more time!"

Blastoise heaved out another Hydro Pump, this time at full force. The attack struck Marowak in the chest, knocking it backwards through the cloud of stun spores and onto its back, but not before it was able to launch its flaming bone at Bellossom again. The bone knocked Bellossom in its back, lighting it up even more, before heading back towards Marowak. The bone struck Blastoise on the way through, hitting him in the back of the head and knocking him straight to the ground. Blastoise didn't get up straight away, and looked hurt.

"Bellossom, return!" Erika sobbed. "I'm sorry, Gary. I'm completely outmatched here. This is all going horribly wrong."

"It will continue to go horribly for you, unless you join us," Agatha snarled. "You have one more chance. After this, I will destroy you both."

"Just try it," Gary said fiercely. "You're a bitter old woman, nothing more."

"Death it is, then!" Agatha screamed. "You're no better than your ridiculous grandfather. He will share your fate after I'm done with you! I'll kill you all! Annihilate them, Gengar!"

Gary grinned to himself as Gengar formed out of its Pokéball.

"I've been waiting for this," he said, almost under his breath.

"Venusaur, I choose you!" Erika cried out as she launched another Pokéball.

"Night Shade!"

Gary cursed to himself as Agatha got the jump on him again. The air rippled as Gengar's attack surged towards Venusaur. Venusaur groaned in pain and fear as the Night Shade went to work. It cowered, edging further away from Gengar as it became more and more frightened.

"Umbreon, go!" Gary yelled. "Throat Chop!"

"Venusaur, Stun Spore!"

Venusaur shot out a mist of stun spores, still keeping its distance from Gengar. The spores instantly paralysed Gengar, and Erika sighed in relief as one of her spore attacks finally worked. Umbreon formed from the red light of the Pokéball and leapt forward straight away, striking Gengar in the throat with a powerful whip of its tail. Gengar went down, falling to its knees and choking. Agatha seethed as Gengar was helpless to defend itself.

"Okay, Umbreon, Dark Pulse!" Gary ordered with a grin on his face.

Umbreon's rings began to glow as the air distorted and turned dark. Gengar started to scream, then fell straight to the ground, knocked out cold. Agatha was furious.

"You have no idea how lucky you are, Oak," she fumed.

"You call it luck, I call it training," Gary answered back. "My Umbreon's more than a match for your ghosts. I don't care _who_ you think you are."

"Then let's see how it does against my Weezing!" she shouted as she threw another Pokéball.

"Venusaur, Vine Whip!" Erika yelled. "Slam it into the ground!"

"Sludge Bomb, Weezing!"

Gary returned his Umbreon and sent out his Arcanine, not wanting to risk his key Pokémon against a Weezing. Venusaur grabbed hold of Weezing with its outstretched vines and smashed it into the ground, even as Weezing launched a Sludge Bomb straight at it. The Sludge Bomb missed, hitting the ground in front of Venusaur as it was repeatedly smashed into the ground.

"Arcanine, Flamethrower!"

Venusaur let go of Weezing barely a millisecond before the flames shot past, blackening Weezing's faces.

"Smokescreen!" Agatha ordered.

Weezing belched out thick smoke that blanketed the entire area, making it impossible to see anything at all. Venusaur and Arcanine retreated to a safe distance, but the smoke kept spreading.

"Weezing, Thunderbolt!"

Gary and Erika were both equally surprised when a bolt of lightning shot out and struck Arcanine through the smoke. It wasn't enough to knock Arcanine out, but it certainly hurt it.

"Fire Blast!"

"Huh?!" Gary exclaimed as a wall of flames shot out and struck Venusaur dead-on.

Venusaur went down straight away and didn't get back up again. Gary's jaw dropped as he tried to make sense of what had just happened.

"Sludge Bomb, Weezing!"

The smoke finally began to clear, and it was just enough to see that Weezing was barely two feet away from Arcanine. Gary's eyes went wide as the Sludge Bomb hit Arcanine in the face, doing horrible damage even as Arcanine attempted to wipe the sludge off his face. Before long the poison overwhelmed Arcanine, and it went down too.

"Pathetic," Agatha spat. "You didn't even know Weezing could do that, did you."

"I knew," Gary growled back at her. "But it's a waste of time. It can't perform those attacks with anywhere near the same strength as a true fire or electric Pokémon can. Or, so I thought."

"Then you truly do know nothing," Agatha cackled. "This isn't a game. The statistics don't mean anything. You're exactly like your grandfather."

Gary gritted his teeth as he tried to establish how many more Pokémon they all had, trying to form a plan in his head. He gritted his teeth some more as he realised that Erika was down to her last Pokémon, while both he and Agatha had three Pokémon left.

"Scizor, let's go!" he said as he threw another Pokéball.

"Go, Vileplume!"

"Weezing, Fire Blast!"

Vileplume ducked, but still got singed by the blast as Scizor strafed and avoided it.

"Petal Dance, Vileplume!"

Vileplume spun around, leaping seemingly at random, shooting petals in every direction. Scizor spent all its energy just avoiding the petals, and Weezing was struck repeatedly. Weezing went down, but Vileplume's attack was cut short as the flames from Weezing's Fire Blast took hold and became more than Vileplume could bear.

"Fire Blast again, Weezing!"

This time the Fire Blast was much weaker, but it was still enough to render Vileplume unconscious. Scizor was totally unaffected, but Agatha's plan had worked regardless.

_Now she can focus all her efforts on beating me_.

Erika cried as she returned Vileplume – her last remaining Pokémon – to its Pokéball.

"I'm so sorry, Gary," she wept. "I've been totally useless here. I'm just holding you back."

"That's not true," Gary told her with firm sincerity. "This match isn't over, and we would never have made it this far against her without you."

"If you're done with kissing each other's asses," Agatha cackled. "Perhaps you can concentrate on losing now. Weezing, Fire Blast!"

Gary grinned, knowing that Weezing was using energy it no longer had in reserve. Scizor barely had to move to dodge the attack, and Weezing was totally spent.

"Bad move," Gary snickered. "Just 'cause it _can_ use a fire-type attack, doesn't mean it's well-suited to it. Scizor, Iron Head!"

Scizor lurched forward slightly, then seemed to disappear as it charged towards Weezing, reappearing a split second later when Weezing was flying through the air, unconscious before it even hit the ground.

"Crobat, destroy that Scizor! Poison Fang!"

Gary was quick, returning his Scizor and sending out Electivire after Crobat's attack failed. Electivire stood firm, ready to attack at a moment's notice as Crobat hovered a few metres away.

"Crobat, Poison Fang!"

"Electivire, Thunder!"

Electivire was bitten, but Crobat was then hit at point blank range with the full force of Electivire's powerful Thunder attack. It was launched backwards, hitting the ground and skidding to a halt as smoke slowly rose off its charred body. Electivire swayed, then fell to its knees as the poison coursed through its body. Gary gritted his teeth and growled in frustration. He decided that Electivire was good for one more attack, then it would be game over.

"Thunderbolt!" he yelled.

Electivire got up on one knee, then used all its remaining strength to blast the flailing Crobat. Both Pokémon went down.

"You've got one left, Agatha," Gary grinned at her. "I'll make you the same offer. Surrender. Give up now, and we'll be merciful."

Agatha cackled raucously.

"You must think I'm completely idiotic," she laughed. "I won't surrender to _you!_ I'm on the verge of defeating you! And right now, Lance is probably destroying your other little friends. We're closer than ever to completing our goals. You don't stand a chance!"

"Fine then," Gary said, releasing his Umbreon and calling back his defeated Electivire. "Show me your last Gengar, so I can wipe the floor with it."

"Gengar, Shadow Ball!" she said as she threw her last Pokéball.

Gengar was already attacking before it had even landed. The Shadow Ball launched as soon as Gengar was fully formed, and was deadly accurate, hitting Umbreon square in the face. Umbreon hit the ground, but shrugged off the attack and got back up straight away.

"Umbreon, Feint Attack!"

Umbreon charged at Gengar, but deliberately missed and skidded past it.

"Hypnosis, Gengar!"

Gengar's eyes glowed red, and Umbreon immediately looked away, its rings glowing bright yellow as it headbutted Gengar, stopping its Hypnosis attack and making it double over in pain. Umbreon leapt backwards a few feet as Gengar struggled to regain its composure.

"Dark Pulse, Umbreon!"

Umbreon's rings glowed again as it concentrated. The air distorted as the attack was sent towards Gengar, but Gengar dodged sideways and only received a glancing blow. Gengar grinned with evil authority at Umbreon, who was starting to tire a little.

"Gengar, Poison Gas!"

Gengar's mouth opened wide as it spewed out noxious gasses, filling the air and blowing straight at Umbreon. Gary frowned – there was no way to Gengar except through the cloud of poisonous gas. He had no choice – Umbreon would have to attack now, before Gengar had a chance to attack too.

"Throat Chop, Umbreon!"

Umbreon charged straight through the cloud of poisonous gas and whipped around, hitting Gengar in the throat with its tail. Gengar went down, and Umbreon emerged through the poison cloud, struggling to stay on its feet. After a few more steps Umbreon went down too, but it was too late – Gary had already won.

"You think you've beaten me," Agatha snarled. "You can't beat me. The Elite Four _cannot_ be beaten by the likes of _you_."

She turned to run, but Gary released his Scizor, easily cutting off her escape route. She screamed in rage as Gary and Erika surrounded her with Scizor.

"I was the one who turned your little red-headed brat friend's Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon," Agatha grinned. "I watched them as they struggled, cried and whimpered like the pathetic little turds that they are. I laughed as I saw the last hope in their eyes dwindle into hatred and strength."

Erika stepped forward and slapped Agatha in the face – _hard_. Agatha laughed as she was knocked over, then got back up, still laughing.

"The only thing I'd change is that the Waterflower girl should have been there," she cackled. "I would have loved to see her pretty little face all mangled in despair."

"You horrible old _bitch!_" Erika growled in rage.

She reared back her fist and smashed it into Agatha's face as hard as she could. Agatha went down instantly, knocked out cold. Tears freely ran down Erika's porcelain skin as she knelt down next to Agatha's limp body. She spat in the old woman's face, then got back to her feet.

"Scizor, kill her," Erika ordered.

Scizor looked at Gary in confusion, and Gary looked at Erika in horror.

"Don't do it, Scizor," Gary told it.

"She deserves to _die!_" Erika cried out. "We can't let her go free, think of the horrible things she'll do! Think of the horrible things she's already _done!_"

"We're not letting her go," Gary told her. "We're going to take her back to Pallet Town, and she can rot in captivity like Bruno and Lorelei."

"That's not good enough!" Erika screeched, storming off.

"And killing her _is?_" Gary countered. "We're better than that, and taking away her life is too good for her. She has to suffer for what she's done. Killing her is just an easy way out. I want her to pay for this the rest of her miserable life."

Erika stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned around.

"You're right," she nodded. "She can't suffer if she's dead. She has to live, so she can suffer more. Not just for Misty, or her poor Pokémon. For _all_ the Pokémon that have been turned into monsters. The Elite Four must _suffer_."

Gary looked around, up at Pokémon Tower and the surrounding buildings. The Rocket United troops were all retreating, slowly backing away into the shadows.

"_This is Surge. Rocket United grunts are moving off without a fight. You're clear. Over._"

"Got it, Lieutenant," Gary responded. "Calling in the Pidgeots now. Agatha has been neutralised."

"_We'll stay until you're safely away. Nice work, Oak. Surge Out."_

The Pidgeots returned a few minutes later, and Gary helped Erika load the still unconscious Agatha onto one of them. She insisted on riding with Agatha, to make sure she didn't try anything, but Gary knew she just wanted to torture her a bit more. He didn't care, as long as Agatha lived, pretty much anything was fair game. As they flew away into the night sky, the spotlights slowly dimmed into blackness, one by one.

_I really hope Misty, Amber and Ash have an easier time with Lance,_ Gary thought to himself. _But something tells me they won't…I have a bad feeling about this._ _Something's gone terribly wrong. I'm glad I'm not Sabrina right now._


	12. Ash, Amber & Misty vs Lance

Indigo Plateau was as dead as the last time Ash, Amber and Misty were there, more than a month ago when they'd first confronted the Elite Four after learning they were the ones behind the entire Rocket United debacle. Just as Gary and Erika had, they noticed that the only signs of life in the entire city were Rocket United grunts hiding in strategic locations, armed with Electivires, Golems and Crobats. Amber had told them that she presumed the widespread use of these Pokémon – along with Vileplumes and Machamps – was probably due to the original batch of stolen Pokémon being made up of Elekids, Geodudes, Zubats, Oddishes and Machops – all Pokémon widely available near their various major hideouts.

They'd all been evolved into their final forms due to the effects of the controversial Evolution Machine, made by Silph Co. The machine had been in alpha-testing phase, but had the major side-effect of causing all its test subjects to be transformed into Shadow Pokémon, which Rocket United had exploited to its advantage, giving their grunts an enormous advantage over almost all regular trainers. The only trainers that had even had a chance of defending themselves had been Ritchie Jackson, Gary Oak, Anders Stevensson of Lavaridge Town, and gym leaders Misty, Erika and Sabrina. Even Ash and Brock had been captured by Jessie early on, preventing them from being of any help at all.

It was only after Misty had won the Jessie League tournament – named so by the increasingly egotistical and maniacal former Team Rocket grunt Jessie – that Ash and Brock had been able to help at all. Since then, Jessie had been ousted as leader of Rocket United, and hadn't been heard from since she'd been broken out of the Celadon PD holding cells. The Elite Four had been revealed as the true masterminds behind the rise of Rocket United, using Jessie and Giovanni to unite all the crime teams and form them into one entity – Rocket United – in order to bring the entire world to its knees.

They had been extremely efficient and brutal, with almost no resistance at all. With only Misty, Gary, James and Meowth fighting against them, the conclusion seemed hopelessly foregone. If it hadn't been for the arrogance of Jessie, and the desire of the Elite Four to let Rocket United pose as the 'bad guys' initially, the world would probably still be on its knees now. The Elite Four had planned to let Rocket United take control of the world, enforcing its own martial law upon every major town and city, then step in and 'save' everyone, doing what the police and governments could not, and giving them a victory that would prove that the ruling powers of the world lacked the strength, integrity and conviction to be in charge. They would assume control by overwhelming demand of the people, and continue to use Rocket United as a private security force to maintain their grip.

Unfortunately for them, Celadon City's Officer Jenny had found out their plans and sent Misty, Brock, Erika, Sabrina, Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak, James, Meowth and Rocket United defector Amber Gibson to confront them. When they did, the Elite Four proved much more powerful and resourceful than they'd expected, managing to subdue all of them with relative ease. Lorelei and Bruno hadn't even needed to use any Pokémon.

Misty focused her mind on the task at hand as they pulled in for a landing in the Pokémon League's Indigo Stadium. Her watch read five minutes until eight, and Lance was nowhere to be seen. The stadium's grass field was up, and Misty's and Amber's block-heeled black leather knee boots sunk into the turf slightly as they walked. There were no other people in the stadium at all from what they could see, not even Rocket grunts. Ash frowned in suspicion as he turned to face Misty and Amber, and Pikachu took a ready stance. They'd been in situations like this many, many times before, and knew not to trust surprises like these.

"Something stinks," Ash muttered. "I don't like this."

"I hear you," Amber nodded in agreement. "This doesn't feel right to me."

Misty frowned, looking around the stadium for any sign of movement, but saw nothing. She was about to yell out when the stadium's lights came on all at once. The three of them suddenly jumped into ready positions, all three with hands on their Pokéballs.

"_How nice of you to arrive on time,"_ a voice said over the stadium's PA. _"Punctuality is a skill less and less often exhibited these days."_

All three of them looked at each other, acknowledging that they were all on the lookout for anything sinister.

"_Welcome to Indigo Plateau. Welcome to the home of the organisation formerly known as the Pokémon League. As of right now, I am rebranding it the 'Elite League'."_

"Catchy name, Lance," Ash called back loudly. "Too bad it's never gonna happen."

"_Such conviction, young Mr Ketchum. You've always been a fiery one, and quite often rather stupid and immature. These personality flaws will cost you dearly today."_

"Stop being such a coward!" Misty shouted in anger. "Come down here, and I'll personally give you some _physical_ flaws that will cost _you_ dearly for the rest of your _life!_"

"_And the young, very beautiful and equally fiery Cerulean gym leader, Ms Waterflower. How you've grown lately. You might say that you owe me a great deal for your personal development."_

"I might_ not_ say," she yelled back. "Get your ass down here _now!_ I won't ask again."

Suddenly Lance appeared on the top tier of seating and leapt down to the ground, his long crimson-lined cape flapping in the wind as he descended. Misty assumed he was connected to some kind of wire. He landed right in front of Misty, looking her up and down slowly and with a dirty smirk on his face.

"Here I am," he said a little creepily. "Your hair looks beautiful. It really contrasts well with your eyes."

He looked down at her body then, grinning a little as his eyes traced further. Misty wanted to hit him more than anything she'd ever wanted to hit before.

"I changed my hair to avoid your stupid grunts," Misty spat disgustedly. "Not to impress you. If you wanna get a little closer to me though, I'd be happy to crush you to death and save us all a lot of time."

"Such fire, such anger," Lance smirked. "You'd do well in my new worldwide government. You could be a very rich young woman, you know. Rich, extraordinarily beautiful, extremely powerful, unopposed…you could have anything you desire. Even me, if you wish. I would share all of this with you."

Misty clenched her teeth and scrunched her face up in disgust and rage.

"Nothing would repulse me more," she growled. "The only thing I want from you is your life. No surrender, no arrest, you don't deserve it. After what you've done to this world, all I want is to watch you suffer before you die."

"Join me, and you might live long enough to see it," Lance replied, still smirking.

"Release your first Pokémon," Amber told him. "Do it now, or she _will_ kill you with her bare hands."

"Very well," Lance said, throwing up his hands in dismissal. "I had to try. Let's get this charade over with then. Aerodactyl, take them out!"

"Vaporeon, go!" Amber yelled.

"Go Starmie!"

"I choose you, Wartortle!"

"All water types," Lance laughed. "How utterly predictable."

"Wartortle, Water Gun!" Ash yelled, ignoring him.

Wartortle aimed and fired, using a suspiciously weak attack that Aerodactyl easily avoided, but served its ultimate purpose brilliantly.

"Vaporeon and Starmie, Ice Beam!" Misty ordered.

Vaporeon and Starmie synchronised their Ice Beam attacks, aiming just ahead and to the sides of Aerodactyl, who was still busy evading Wartortle's Water Gun. It evaded left, flying straight into the path of Vaporeon's Ice Beam. It froze up immediately, not completely but just enough to stop it from flying properly. It crashed into the ground at the edge of the battlefield before getting back to its feet again and screeching in rage.

"Hydro Pump, Wartortle!"

"You too, Vaporeon!" Amber called.

"Starmie, Psychic attack!"

Aerodactyl was frozen in place, unable to move at first, but gradually – and with a great deal of pain – managing to step forwards a few steps, before being overcome by Vaporeon and Wartortle's powerful Hydro Pump attacks. It was pushed backwards hard, knocking it off its feet and smashing into the arena fence on the full.

"Now all three together, Ice Beam attack!" Ash ordered.

Wartortle, Vaporeon and Starmie all produced an Ice Beam attack that converged on the wounded Aerodactyl, who was unable to move out of the way in time. The blasts completely overwhelmed it, freezing it into a block of solid ice. Lance's jaw was wide open in shock. He recalled Aerodactyl, his shock quickly replaced by fierce anger.

"Perhaps I was wrong about you three," he admitted. "You battle well together. Very clever of you to kite my Aerodactyl like that. I think that perhaps battling all three of you together was a little arrogant of me. I'll need to do something about that."

"Wait, what do you mean, 'do something about that'?" Ash asked warily.

Lance grinned, then withdrew his Aerodactyl and threw another Pokéball. It spun through the air before activating and spewing out the familiar red flash of light. He then put his finger on a chunky ring he wore on his left index finger, and the red flash began to growl loudly and slightly change shape.

"Oh man," Ash cried out shakily. "That better not be what I think it is."

"Charizard, kill him," Lance ordered.

The black and blue Mega Charizard X leapt into the air and swooped down towards Ash, Misty and Amber. It spun around in mid-air, whipping Ash with its tail and hitting him in the torso. He grunted in pain as he was struck and launched backwards through the air before landing and skidding along the ground for a short while, then flipped over repeatedly until he struck the arena fence with an enormous crash.

"_ASH!_" Misty screamed in terror, then bolted straight over to him as Lance laughed maniacally.

Pikachu had watched the whole thing unfold, and his cheeks were sparking. His face quivered with pure rage as his tail shook uncontrollably, staring at the Mega Charizard X that had just attacked his oldest friend. Pikachu didn't hesitate any longer; he didn't announce his attack, he didn't even seem to show any signs of effort. He just braced himself and launched an insanely powerful Thunder attack that used up every bit of energy he had in him, and fainted instantly afterwards. Lance's Mega Charizard X was blown across the arena and into the seating, taking out about three dozen seats as it landed. It recovered slowly, stumbling down through the broken chairs before falling dizzily back onto the arena and passing out. The Mega Evolution failed, turning it back into a regular Charizard before Lance recalled it.

"Well, I certainly wasn't expecting that," he admitted. "That's a hell of a Pikachu."

Misty lifted Ash into a sitting position and lightly slapped his face repeatedly as tears streamed down her face.

"Ash, come on man, wake up, wake _up!_" she whimpered, then put her fingers to his neck to check for a pulse. She found one, but it was relatively weak.

"I'll destroy him," she whispered to him. "I promise you, I'll destroy him for what he's done. Just don't go and die on me. Please Ash, don't die."

She let her tears drip uncontrollably down her face as she gently kissed him on the forehead, shaking with worry and fury.

"We were gonna grow old together, remember? Best friends forever," she sobbed. "I know we hit a rough patch the last few years, but you just stay alive for me, and we can fix everything. I know we can. You're my wonderful, dopey friend, Ash Ketchum, and I need you here with me. Now just stay alive while I kill this guy for you."

She grabbed Bulbasaur's Pokéball and released him as Wartortle came rushing over to assist, carrying the unconscious Pikachu.

"Help me lift him over the fence, okay guys?"

The three of them gently lifted him up and placed him in a chair, putting Pikachu in his lap, making sure that Ash was sitting upright.

"I need you two to look after him, okay?" Misty said to them as she wiped her tears away. "I know you'll take good care of him until this is all over."

Wartortle and Bulbasaur nodded, then took their places by Ash's side and watched on. Misty's worry subsided as she made her way back over to Amber and Lance, making way completely for the absolute fury she'd been feeling as well. She felt her face get hot as her blood boiled, and she knew she wouldn't feel better until her lust for revenge had been satisfied.

"He'd be better off dead," Lance said coldly as he released his third Pokémon – a strange-looking Exeggutor. "Now at least he won't get in the way. The world is really only for the strong. Trainers like him…they come and go. The champions, like you and I, we live _forever_."

"Keep talking while I smack you around," Misty responded emotionlessly as she stomped her way over to him, only to be stopped by Exeggutor before she could reach him.

"Now, now," he chided. "There's no need for unnecessary violence here. We have a battle to finish, after all."

Amber recalled her Vaporeon and released her Alolan Sandslash.

"Says the scum who just attacked our friend with a Mega-Evolved Pokémon because he was getting beaten too badly," she growled.

"I could annihilate you both _easily_," Lance frowned.

Amber turned to Misty then.

"That's an Alolan Exeggutor," she told her. "Grass and Dragon types."

"I know," Misty replied softly, then recalled Starmie and threw another Pokéball. "Let's do it, Flareon!"

"Sandslash, Blizzard!"

Sandslash whipped up a Blizzard, stopping Exeggutor in its tracks. It was almost impossible to see through it, which also made it impossible for Flareon to attack.

"Seed Bomb, Exeggutor," Lance called.

Huge seeds began to shoot out in all directions, and several of them struck Flareon and Sandslash. They didn't cause much damage, but they were enough to stop Sandslash's Blizzard attack and clear the air. The grass was brittle and frozen, turning the battlefield almost entirely white, although the summer heat was already making the ice melt a little. Misty wasted no time in attacking, utilising the now clear air.

"Flareon, Flamethrower!"

Flareon spat out a white-hot flame that melted the ice instantly, as well as burning all the grass in its path. Exeggutor received the full force of the attack, catching fire and rolling around on the ground to try and put itself out.

"Exeggutor, Dragon Hammer," Lance said calmly.

The massively tall Exeggutor got back to its feet before bending forwards with frightening speed towards Flareon and Sandslash. Flareon was quicker, and managed to get out of the way just in time, but Sandslash wasn't so lucky.

"Quick, Sandslash!" Amber yelled. "Dig underground!"

The bruised Sandslash shook itself off and dug down through the ground, disappearing in moments.

"Bad move," Lance grinned. "Exeggutor, Stomping Tantrum!"

The ground shook as the still-burning Exeggutor stamped around the battlefield madly, aiming for wherever it heard or felt Sandslash digging beneath it. It wasn't as powerful as an Earthquake attack, but it wasn't far off, and it was having a similar effect. After a few more seconds, Sandslash returned to the surface, too battered to continue. Amber returned it with a worried sigh.

"Flareon, Fire Fang!"

Flareon raced forwards towards Exeggutor, leaping the last few metres and grabbing hold of the lower part of its huge neck with her teeth, which were shrouded in flames. Exeggutor screamed as the rest of its body caught fire, madly sprinting around in panic. It managed to fling Flareon off eventually, but the damage was done already. Flareon landed on her feet and watched Exeggutor like a predator as it quickly succumbed to the intense fire. Lance also watched on, appearing to be completely unfazed by his Pokémon's suffering. Misty glared at him as he chose to do nothing.

"Flareon, Quick Attack," Misty yelled. "Put the poor thing out of its misery."

Flareon did as she was told, charging at Exeggutor and efficiently knocking it out. Lance's expression stayed blank, and he still didn't return Exeggutor.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Amber asked in disgust. "You call yourself a trainer? Your Pokémon is _hurt_. Return it."

Lance quickly turned to glare at her. He looked extremely sinister and dangerous, even unstable. He reached into a pocket and grabbed a remote control of some sort, pushing a button on it. Suddenly the battlefield began to rumble, and the floor dropped about a foot down before splitting in half, then retreating beneath the stadium seats. Once it was completely gone, a new field rose from beneath them: a water field.

Flareon quickly leapt out of the way, standing at Misty's side before she recalled her to her Pokéball. Lance finally recalled his Exeggutor before throwing another Pokéball out to take its place.

"A Kingdra!" Misty exclaimed in surprise.

"I've got the perfect Pokémon for this," Amber grinned. "Go, Jolteon!"

"So do I," Misty frowned. "Starmie, it's your turn again!"

Starmie leapt into the water straight away as Jolteon leapt onto one of several floating platforms. Kingdra swam around with its head poking above the surface of the water like a predator sizing up its prey.

"Kingdra, Twister!"

Kingdra began swimming around in circles with ever increasing speed, quickly whipping up a whirlpool and then a tornado that sucked up the water in the pool, making it almost like a mini-hurricane. Starmie was drawn into it, and the platform Jolteon was standing on started to tip and move towards it as well. Jolteon fell into the water, and Starmie quickly disappeared from sight.

"Starmie, Thunder attack!" Misty yelled.

"You too, Jolteon!"

Starmie and Jolteon both powered up a devastating electric attack, lighting up the whole pool and electrifying all three of them. The Twister attack ended abruptly, with Kingdra and Starmie falling from the sky back into the water. Starmie was completely wiped out, and Misty had to return it. Jolteon had escaped relatively unscathed, and swam over to another platform, while Kingdra stayed beneath the surface.

"I can't believe it's still going," Misty observed. "That attack would have taken down a Gyarados."

"I can fix that," Amber said. "Jolteon, one more Thunder attack!"

"Kingdra, Dragon Pulse!"

Jolteon lit the pool up again as Kingdra leapt out of it, escaping the attack and launching a powerful shock wave from its mouth. Jolteon hadn't recovered from the Thunder attack when the wave hit, knocking it into the pool and submerging the platform with it. Jolteon struggled to stay afloat, waiting for the platform to rise again, but Kingdra wasn't done. It launched another wave as it came back down towards the surface of the water, hitting Jolteon again and forcing it underwater once more. Jolteon was running out of breath, and the Dragon Pulse might have been fatal in normal circumstances. Jolteon's instincts kicked in, however, and it used the last of its energy to electrify the pool again with another Thunder attack. As Kingdra hit the water it was shocked unconscious, floating on the surface like a dead fish as Jolteon briefly struggled towards the surface before giving up.

"Jolteon!" Amber screamed as she fumbled with her Pokéballs, before quickly returning Jolteon just as it started to go under.

Lance yelled in rage as he returned his Kingdra, hurling another Pokéball into the pool with such force that it skipped along the surface a couple of times before releasing his next Pokémon. As it formed from the Pokéball's red light, the shape got bigger and bigger before Misty and Amber's eyes. They watched as it grew and grew before starting to form into the shape of a huge Gyarados.

"Uh-oh," Amber mumbled to Misty.

"Don't worry," she assured her. "Gyarados are strong, but they're not invulnerable. Use Espeon. Vileplume won't be able to handle this."

"I wish I'd saved Jolteon now," Amber lamented.

"It doesn't matter," Lance roared, his face bright red. "I know now, I've been arrogant. I underestimated you all. Even without your best trainer, you've been more than a match for me. But if you think you have any chance of winning, then you're both fools. I will do what must be done, and I will use any means necessary. _That_ is your weakness."

"What are you blabbering about?" Amber yelled. "You can't possibly win against the two of us now."

"I won't be battling the two of you," Lance grinned. "I'll be battling only one of you. Gyarados, Hyper Beam that traitorous little bitch!"

Amber and Misty looked up in horror as Gyarados' mouth opened wide, forming a ball of energy in it. Misty leapt at Amber in desperation, trying to knock her out of the way of the blast, but she dove straight through her and landed on the ground. As she realised she'd completely missed, her eyes widened and she felt adrenaline rushing through her body. She pushed off the ground with her hands, breaking into a run before she'd even gotten to her feet, and bolted towards Amber, who'd been launched straight into the arena fence. Her body lay crumpled against the fence, and she was unconscious, with an enormous wound in her torso.

Lance's laughter filled the stadium as Misty gently raised Amber into a sitting position, checking her pulse at her carotid arteries. It was extremely weak, but it was there. She gently slapped Amber's cheek.

"C'mon, baby, wake up, please, wake up!" she said softly, her voice shaking uncontrollably.

Amber stirred and opened her eyes after a few moments, and a weak smile formed on her face. Misty smiled broadly as she stroked Amber's face in elation.

"Hey," Amber whispered weakly, then softly kissed Misty's palm. "I never knew you could be this beautiful."

"Shut up," Misty laughed sadly, her voice still shaking badly. "You're gonna be fine, okay? You just stay here and rest while I kill that son of a bitch, then we'll go and get you some help. You're gonna be okay, baby, I promise."

Amber smiled and shut her eyes again, slowly tipping over, so Misty quickly put a hand behind her head to support it, and her other hand on her waist to help her back up. Both hands felt warm, and as she drew them away she realised they were covered in blood. She started sobbing involuntarily, but Amber was still smiling.

"No, no, no, no, no, _no, NO!_" Misty cried. "No, this isn't happening…_please_, not her, anything else, anyone, but not her, not Amber."

"Misty," Amber whispered. "It's okay."

Misty held her close, tears streaming down her face and soaking her top, her body quivering, but Amber was still smiling.

"You're not going anywhere, baby, you're staying right here with me, and we're gonna win this thing and everything's gonna be just fine."

"Misty, I'm dying," Amber whispered. "You have to let me go."

"_No!_ Don't say that, you're gonna be fine, I promise you, we're both gonna be just fine!"

"Misty…" she continued, her voice getting weaker and weaker by the second.

"No more talking," Misty told her. "You just rest, get your strength back. Don't close your eyes."

"Misty, I would have been yours forever," she smiled, her breathing becoming increasingly laboured. "I love you, I would have grown old and wrinkly with you. You were everything to me. Even though we didn't know each other long, I'm glad I met you."

"Amber –"

"– let me finish. You changed my life. You made me a good person again. I'll always love you, forever. And I'll always be here for you. Thankyou, Misty. For everything. Live a good life, and fall in love again someday…I'll miss you…but I'll…I'll never forget…my short time with you…was so…goodbye, my beautiful girl…and thank…"

Misty's eyes went wide, and she quickly checked Amber's pulse again, but she was gone. She grabbed Amber's limp body and held her tight, tears literally flooding out of her eyes. Her own body began to convulse violently as the raw emotions overwhelmed her. She couldn't hear, she couldn't see, she couldn't even breathe. All she could do was hold Amber tight, never wanting to let go. In a split second, Misty's whole world had been brought crashing to a halt and smashed to pieces.

"Get up," Lance roared. "We have a battle to finish."

Suddenly Misty's emotions changed from utter devastation and hopelessness to white-hot, unrelenting rage. All she could focus on now was killing Lance.

_It was all him. Everything. He's responsible for it all. He took everything from me, and now I'm going to take it from him._

She slowly unwrapped herself from Amber's limp body, carefully leaning her against the arena fence before getting back to her feet. She stood facing the fence a little longer, wiping the tears from her eyes and focusing her rage. Slowly, she turned around to face Lance, grabbing Raichu's pokéball and holding it in her hand.

"Treacherous little whore," Lance growled. "That's what you get for betraying me."

Misty's white-hot rage became unadulterated, seething, blinding hatred. She felt her eyes burning, and her blood boiling through every inch of her being.

"Too soon?" Lance joked.

Misty said nothing. She released Raichu without throwing the pokéball, and Raichu immediately knew something was terribly wrong. She darted over to Amber, tears forming in her little eyes as she gently stroked Amber's cheeks with her furry little paws. Sparks began shooting out from her cheeks as she turned around and stood by Misty's side.

"Raichu? Chu, raichu rai?" she asked Misty.

"I'm sorry, my little friend," Misty whispered, unable to speak any louder without her voice cracking.

"_Chuuuuu_," Raichu moaned, with such sadness that Misty started to cry again. "Rai raichu?"

"Yes, he did it, his Gyarados, and we're going to kill him," she answered.

"_CHUUUU!_" Raichu screamed, her cheeks sparking dangerously.

"You know what to do," Misty muttered to her.

Raichu stepped up, standing at the edge of the pool as Lance's Gyarados looked down at her. Raichu's eyes were focused, her breathing calm but heavy, hiding the bubbling rage beneath the surface. Her cheeks sparked ever more violently, begging for a chance at revenge. Pikachu rushed over, having woken up just in time to see the entire thing from the sidelines, and looked equally as dangerous and angry. The pair of electric Pokémon stood fearlessly in front of Gyarados, barely holding back their energy.

"Pika," Pikachu announced to Misty.

"Thankyou, Pikachu," Misty responded shakily, her pure hatred the only thing helping her keep it all together. "Thankyou both. Amber's sacrifice won't be in vain. Now let's tear these fuckers apart. For Amber."

Lance stood at the other side of the pool wearing an enormous grin, his cape flapping in the breeze as his monstrous Gyarados hulked in front of him.

"I'm holding all the cards now," he laughed raucously. "I have the power, I have the will to do what's _right_. This world will be _mine_, and you are all going to _die_."

"Take Gyarados down quickly, then get Lance, but don't kill him. He's _mine_," Misty told Pikachu and Raichu.

Both electric Pokémon sparked like an overloading transfer box, with enough power to shock a Tauros unconscious as they waited for Misty's command to have their revenge.


	13. The End of the Line

"Agility!"

Pikachu and Raichu split up, running around the edges of the pool in opposite directions, flanking Gyarados. Gyarados didn't look bothered, but it certainly wasn't able to keep up with either of them.

"Thunderbolt!"

Both electric Pokémon attacked simultaneously, Raichu from the front and Pikachu behind. Despite launching such powerful attacks, both Pokémon's electric sacs were still sparking with excess energy. Even Pikachu, who'd used up all his power knocking out Lance's Mega Charizard X earlier on, had so much adrenaline running through his little body that he didn't seem tired at all.

Gyarados howled in pain as he was brought down, but Pikachu and Raichu kept sprinting around the pool, not letting it get a bead on them.

"Dragon Pulse!" Lance shouted in frustration.

"Keep up the Agility, guys," Misty said fiercely. "Zap the hell out of it."

They launched another Thunderbolt attack, and another, running rings around Gyarados and shocking it seemingly at random. Gyarados couldn't keep up, and its Dragon Pulse attacks were easily avoided. It was tiring itself out very quickly, and the two electric Pokémon were still fresh. Suddenly Pikachu leapt onto Gyarados while Raichu distracted it with some Thundershocks. He scampered up its back, making his way up to its head.

"Gyarados, Thunder attack!"

Gyarados electrified its whole body, trying to rid itself of the pesky Pikachu by shocking it, but it failed miserably. Pikachu simply absorbed the entire attack and powered himself back up.

"Go, Pikachu! Show that son of a bitch what a _real_ Thunder attack looks like."

Pikachu held on tight, then without uttering a sound, he pressed his face against Gyarados' head and shocked it instantly unconscious. Gyarados fell forwards, its head hitting the outside of the pool right at Lance's feet. Pikachu leapt off at the last second, standing strong in front of Lance.

"_Pi_ka," he said, then turned his nose up at Lance and casually strolled away.

"You little bastard," Lance seethed through gritted teeth.

He stepped forwards and aimed a kick right at Pikachu's spine, but Pikachu spun on his heels and used Iron Tail, sweeping Lance's feet out from under him. Lance landed flat on his back as Pikachu turned his back on him and continued to walk away.

"You've got one more," Misty told him. "Let's get this over with."

"I _know_ how many Pokémon I have left, bitch!" Lance screamed. "Don't you _dare_ patronise me!"

"Kingdra, get ready," Misty said flatly as she released her old friend, one of the very few rescued Pokémon she had that didn't get turned into a fully evolved Shadow Pokémon, and arguably one of her most powerful.

Lance got back on his feet and dusted himself off, the veins in his forehead bulging and threatening to burst. He looked like he was going to have a stroke as he threw Dragonite's pokéball.

"One Pokémon is all I need. Dragonite will be your _doom!_ Destroy them!"

Something was wrong with Lance's Dragonite, and Misty saw it immediately. It looked like it was as mean and twisted as Lance himself. Pikachu, Raichu and Kingdra braced themselves as Bulbasaur and Wartortle raced over to join the fight. Dragonite stood on the opposite edge of the pool, in front of Lance. Its eyes were darkened, like shadows, and it appeared to be angry, even though it had only just been released from its pokéball and hadn't even been given an order yet.

"_Raaaai_chuuuu_,_" Raichu uttered with determination.

"_Chuuu_," Pikachu agreed.

"That's a Shadow Pokémon," Misty told them all. "He's turned his Dragonite into a damn Shadow Pokémon."

"_YOU HAVE NO CHANCE!_" Lance roared hysterically. "You _NEVER_ had a chance! And now you're going to _die_ like your whimpering little friend, and your _TRAITOROUS LOVER!_"

"You're sick," Misty spat. "You're a lunatic, Lance."

"_SILENCE!_" he screamed. "Dragonite, Dragon Rage! Kill them all!"

"Pikachu, Raichu, Thunderbolt!" Misty yelled, trying to give them all their orders as quickly as possible. "Bulbasaur, Giga Drain! Wartortle, Ice Beam! Kingdra, Twister!"

Pikachu and Raichu both used Agility without being told, utilising their previous strategy of sprint-and-destroy, while Bulbasaur stood back and attempted to draw energy from the raging Dragonite. Wartortle's Ice Beam managed to slow Dragonite down briefly, but even with Wartortle's immense power and Dragonite's ice-type weakness, the attack failed to make much of a dent in Dragonite's defences. It didn't even flinch as it was building up energy. Suddenly its mouth opened wide and a bright orange beam shot out, hitting Wartortle dead-on and pulverising him.

Wartortle got back up, with great difficulty, and charged straight at Dragonite. Kingdra, meanwhile, had been whipping up a hurricane, and Dragonite hadn't even noticed yet.

"Wartortle, Hydro Pump!"

Wartortle leapt into the air as he sprinted, his head retracted into his shell and was replaced by a powerful torrent of water that hit Dragonite square in the face. Dragonite's head turned slightly, and it looked mad. It opened its mouth again and hit Wartortle at point blank range with another Dragon Rage. This time, Wartortle didn't get back up.

"Wartortle, return!" Misty yelled as she aimed the pokéball. "Bulbasaur, Razor Leaf!"

By the time Bulbasaur had braced himself and stood in his Razor Leaf stance, Dragonite had flown over and whipped him with a Dragon Tail attack. Bulbasaur soared sideways, rocketing into the arena fence and passing out instantly.

Kingdra's Twister attack had become enormous by now, and began to move. Pikachu and Raichu quickly got out of the way as the hurricane swallowed Dragonite whole. Lance roared in anger as Dragonite was battered by Kingdra's powerful attack, but then something went wrong. The entire hurricane lit up with sparks, and Kingdra was spat out, totally unconscious. Misty gasped as Dragonite took control of the match.

"I _told_ you, you have _NO CHANCE!_" Lance screamed maniacally.

"You're claiming this?" Misty yelled back at him. "You have absolutely no control over that Dragonite. It's not listening to you at all. It's completely insane."

"What a pathetic attempt," Lance laughed. "I am _Lance_, ultimate champion of the Elite Four. I command _any Pokémon I want_. You're _nothing_."

"I don't care what you think," Misty said flatly, her face devoid of emotion now. "Gyarados, go!"

Misty's own Gyarados joined the party then, facing Dragonite and roaring its displeasure at it. Lance laughed loudly and raucously.

"You think that's gonna save you? You _can't win!_"

"Gyarados, Dragon Pulse, keep it distracted!" she commanded, ignoring Lance. "Pikachu and Raichu, Agility and Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu and Raichu sprinted off, blasting Dragonite with powerful electric attacks at random, keeping it from centring itself, while Gyarados pummelled it with super-effective Dragon Pulse attacks. Dragonite was getting angrier and angrier as it took more and more damage, eventually losing its mind and roaring in frustration.

"Dragonite, fly into the air!" Lance commanded. "Sky Attack!"

Dragonite completely ignored Lance and powered up a Hyper Beam instead, aiming and shooting with incredible speed and accuracy. The blast hit Gyarados in the face, and the enormous Pokémon went down instantly. Gyarados was hurt, but not down and out.

"That's the way, Dragonite!" Lance cheered. "Now fly into the air!"

Dragonite puffed smoke from its nostrils as it turned around to glare at Lance, then belched out a Flamethrower attack at him. Lance quickly dove out of the way, but his cape caught fire and he was forced to ditch it.

"That's my best cape, you moron!" he yelled.

Dragonite growled and focused on Raichu and Pikachu instead, leaping into the air and stamping the ground with both feet.

"That's an Earthquake attack…" Misty mumbled to herself, watching as Raichu and Pikachu lost their footing and fell over.

Dragonite took to the air then, swooping down towards Raichu and bashing her with its right wing, knocking her into the pool. Pikachu was onto it straight away, leaping into the air and blasting Dragonite with a Thunder attack, but Pikachu was fast running out of puff. Dragonite seemed to be fine, despite taking numerous Thunderbolts and Dragon Pulses.

"Gyarados, Ice Beam!" Misty yelled.

Gyarados roared before launching a freezing beam of water at Dragonite as it swooped down on Pikachu, hitting its torso and knocking it to the ground. Pikachu leapt onto Dragonite's head as it lay on the ground and put all his remaining power into one last Thunder attack. Dragonite squealed in pain, but recovered quickly and batted Pikachu away with its claws. Pikachu was hurt, and exhausted, and couldn't continue battling.

"Pikachu, get out of there!" Misty shouted as she threw another Pokéball. "Go, Flareon!"

Dragonite got back to its feet and flew into the air again as Gyarados tried in vain to hit it with several more Ice Beams. Dragonite flew straight at Gyarados and headbutted it, knocking it down again.

"Nice work, Dragonite!" Lance grinned. "Destroy them!"

Dragonite was getting more and more frustrated by Lance, and used Flamethrower on him again. Lance was forced into the water to avoid it, and Dragonite flew off again, turning around to attempt another Skull Bash on Gyarados.

"Raichu, Agility and Iron Tail!"

Raichu raced towards Dragonite as it came in for its Skull Bash on Gyarados, leaping into the air at the last second and slinging her tail around. She managed to whip Dragonite in the face, sending it tumbling off course and skidding into the arena fence.

"Flareon, Fire Blast!"

Flareon rushed at the downed Dragonite, catching it off guard and blasting it with a white-hot Fire Blast attack from only a few feet away. Dragonite screeched in protest as the flames burned it mercilessly, turning away and using Dragon Tail on Flareon. Flareon tumbled away, shaking herself off and stumbling a little at first, but she didn't seem too badly hurt.

"Dig, Flareon! Gyarados, Blizzard attack!"

Gyarados had taken a few solid hits, and was getting close to breaking point. Misty knew this had to work, as she was down to one Pokémon after this. Dragonite was being battered with everything she had, but it was still going. It looked worse for wear, but the sheer anger and aggression it was showing kept it at better than peak performance.

"Don't just stand there, Dragonite!" Lance shouted angrily. "Blast that Gyarados before it puts you down!"

Dragonite roared in anger, launching a Hyper Beam right at Lance, who was still in the water. Lance barely escaped, and was still hit by the shockwave. The blast created an enormous splash, spraying a ton of water into the air, which was subsequently frozen and turned into micro-missiles as Gyarados' Blizzard attack engulfed Dragonite. It roared and screamed, shielding its eyes, defenceless against the onslaught.

"Now!" Misty yelled, and Gyarados seized the Blizzard attack as Flareon tunnelled back above ground, leaping into the air at precisely Dragonite's head height.

"Overheat, Flareon!"

Flareon put every ounce of energy into the attack, hitting Dragonite in the back of the head and launching it across the pool. The heat of the blast began to boil the water, and Misty had to recall Gyarados before it became collateral damage. Dragonite finally seemed to be out of energy, and fainted as it climbed out of the pool. Lance's jaw dropped as he stood poolside, watching the events unfold, then fell to his knees.

"It's over…" he muttered. "I'm Lance, Dragon Master…how could I possibly lose to this…this _girl?_"

Misty stomped over to him, making her way around the pool as Lance continued to stare at his defeated Dragonite. He finally noticed her as she walked past the halfway point of the pool, and an angry snarl formed on his face. He growled in frustration, then the growl turned into a roar as he broke into a run, sprinting at full speed towards Misty. Misty didn't flinch, she kept marching onwards, flames behind her eyes as they approached each other with single-minded hatred.

"_YOU!_" Lance roared at the top of his lungs. "You ruined _EVERYTHING!_ I could have been ruling this world. It _all_ could have been _MINE!_"

He tackled Misty, knocking her flat onto her back, then attempted to punch her. She grabbed hold of him with her arms and legs and squeezed as tight as she could, feeling his ribs bending, crowding him so he couldn't hit her. She rolled him over onto his back, letting go of him, then headbutted him. She got back to her feet, waiting for him to get back up as well. Lance screamed as he wiped the blood from his face. He was completely out of control now, raging almost mindlessly.

He swung at her with a right hook, but Misty simply ducked and kicked his legs out from under him. He tumbled onto his face, roaring ever louder with each fall. As he got onto his hands and knees, Misty kicked him in the ribs. He grunted in pain and anger as she kicked again, but this time he grabbed her foot and threw her into the pool.

"_Get up!_" he roared. "Get out here, _now!_ I'm gonna rip your pretty little head right off of your shoulders. _Never mess with the Dragon Master!_"

Misty popped her head out of the water, a good distance away so he couldn't surprise her by kicking her in the face.

"_Coward!_" he screamed. "You fucking little _princess_. I'm not done with you yet. Get your ass over here _NOW!_"

Misty didn't say a word. She just floated in place, waiting for him to make a mistake. She was completely blinded by rage; killing Lance was _everything_. It was the only thing she cared about. As she watched Lance scream and roar in frustration, literally tearing his own hair out, she kept thinking about Amber's beautiful face, her smile, her devotion…and her bloodied head and torso after Lance's Gyarados tore a hole right through her. Tears began to fall down her cheeks, disguised by the pool's water. She quickly became overwhelmed, the sadness and grief turning instantly into fury as she watched the man responsible for Amber's death rage about madly in front of her.

"You think I won't jump in there and break you with my bare hands?" Lance seethed. "I'll fucking snap you in half!"

He leapt into the water, aiming straight for her, but without a plan of any sort. The water was Misty's domain – Lance was completely out of his element, and she knew it. She took a deep breath, then swam around him, letting him overshoot her, then latched onto him from behind. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and they quickly began to sink. Lance thrashed madly, trying to buck her off, but Misty squeezed tightly, and she was holding on no matter what. He grabbed at her thighs as they dug into his waist, desperately trying to pry them apart as she gripped tighter and tighter, letting his breath run low before giving him an almighty squeeze that broke at least one rib.

Satisfied, she let go of him and swam back up to the surface for a breath, then made her way to the pool edge. She could hear Lance thrashing and screaming in pain as she got out of the pool, waiting for him to swim back over.

"That _hurt,_ you little whore!" he shouted. "I will make you _pay_ for that! I'm going to enjoy watching you die. Slowly and painfully."

She rolled over, staying flat to the ground and out of sight, until he popped his head up and climbed out. She dangled her legs over his shoulders as he lifted himself up, pushing him back into the pool again as she gripped his neck. He growled at her and tried to push her off, but she kept pushing him back in. Furious, Lance punched her in the thigh, which just made Misty angrier. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in against her crotch and crossed her ankles, beginning to squeeze. She watched his face turn red as he groaned and pulled at her thighs.

"Why would you kill her?!" Misty screamed, finally letting her emotions show. "_WHY?!_ You're a _monster!_"

He grunted in pain as she squeezed tighter, making sure he didn't pass out just yet.

"She meant _everything_ to me. She was so much better than you _ever_ were. You bitter, pathetic, washed up _asshole!_ Now you pay. You pay for _all_ the innocent people you killed! All the people who were sacrificed for your _selfish plans! _What are you gonna do, huh?"

"Fuck you!" he muttered, his jaw forcibly shut as Misty squeezed. "I won't be beaten by _you!_"

"Tell me how it feels, bitch!" Misty screamed as she squeezed tighter again. "_TELL ME!_ How does it feel to know that _I _control whether you_ live _or you_ die!_"

"Uhnnnngg…ffff…fck…ynnng…" Lance mumbled, his face turning purple, looking like a massive blueberry between her legs.

"This is for you, Amber," Misty sobbed as she once again thought of Amber's beautiful smile. "He can't hurt anyone anymore."

Lance's eyes widened in horror as Misty looked down at his face. She let her legs and hips dip below the surface of the water, holding him under and squeezing as tight as she possibly could. Lance thrashed madly, trying desperately, with every ounce of his strength, to pry her thighs apart. It was useless, Misty was too strong, and she easily held him under. After a few seconds the thrashing stopped, and she knew she'd squeezed him out cold. She kept squeezing for another ten seconds or so, then unwrapped her thighs and got out of the water, letting Lance's limp body sink to the bottom of the pool.

She stood up and made her way over to Amber's body, letting the tears flow. Her whole body convulsed as the grief completely overwhelmed her. She could barely breathe, and she didn't care. She held Amber close, stroking her brown dyed hair as she wailed hysterically.

"We'll be…together…again…my angel," she sobbed hysterically. "I promise…I'll…see you…again. My poor girl…my…poor…poor, beautiful girl."

She felt a hand on her shoulder and grabbed it. Ash knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and Misty let herself cry and cry, mashing her face into his chest and wailing as loud as she could.

"Don't…let me go…Ash," she blubbed. "Please…just…keep holding…me."

Ash held her tight, tears running down his own face.

"It's all over now, Mist," he said shakily. "Amber's been avenged. She'd be so proud of you. We're all so very proud of you."

"I…couldn't…save her…Ash…"

"But you saved so many others," he explained. "Lance can't hurt them anymore. The Elite Four are finished, and Amber will be remembered forever for helping save the entire world."

"It…hurts…so bad…Ash," Misty struggled to say.

"I know…" he said, holding her a little tighter. "I dunno whether this is gonna help or not, but she told me something when we were training. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard anyone say, and it made me so happy for you two."

"…what?" Misty asked, pulling away so she could look into Ash's bloodshot, soaking wet eyes.

"She said you were the only person that ever gave her a second chance. You took her away from her messed up life and gave her a reason to keep going, and be the best she could be, like a beautiful guardian angel that she didn't think she deserved. She said you walked into the life of a miserable, selfish gangster, and turned her into someone kind and grateful, who wanted to make other people's lives better the way you did for her. You made her feel loved and needed and beautiful every day, just by being yourself, and she wanted to spend the rest of her life making you feel the same way."

Misty's lip quivered as he spoke, and as soon as he finished, she grabbed him and squeezed him tight, bawling her eyes out.

"She did…she…did…I…love her so…much, Ash…"

The Rocket United troops backed away, retreating into the darkness as Bella slowly and sadly made her way over, followed by the Pallet Pidgeots. Tears ran down her face, and she didn't know what to do. She stayed back, letting Misty and Ash grieve, overwhelmed by the intense sadness permeating the atmosphere. It was finally over, but Bella was disheartened by the extreme price that had to be paid in the end. She put a hand over her mouth and let herself cry, wondering why such a beautiful young woman's life had to end, and another's life had to be utterly decimated, just to stop the homicidal madness of the Elite Four.

_I don't think I'll ever know,_ she thought to herself as she sobbed. _Rest in peace, beautiful girl. We'll meet again someday._


	14. Epilogue

Autumn had well and truly set in, and Cerulean City was slowly getting back to its old self again. Daisy, Violet and Lily had been taking care of the gym since it reopened a month ago, and trainers were slowly starting to trickle through. Surge and Bella had reopened the Vermillion Gym too, after leading the efforts to clean the town up with the help of all Vermillion's residents. The rest of the world had slowly begun to repair too, albeit slowly. The damage caused by Jessie, Rocket United and the Elite Four had left scars that cut deep, and might not ever heal.

Rocket United had been disbanded when they heard the news of what had happened. The entire organisation had been split in half – some who wanted nothing to do with the kind of brutality they'd shown under the Elite Four's direction, the rest who felt they should continue using their presence to take whatever they wanted while they still could. Jessie tried to seize control after Lance was killed, but James and Meowth had led a squad of volunteer policemen and women in a raid, and captured their former teammate. She'd been put on trial and sentenced to life imprisonment, with no chance of parole. James and Meowth were pardoned of all previous crimes, and were recruited by Celadon Jenny to permanently lead a new special forces squad designed to prevent another Rocket United from ever taking hold again.

Rocket United as a whole was no longer a threat, but the remnants of the evil organisation were not to be taken lightly. James and Meowth were making real progress in rooting out cells of former Rocket United grunts, and fortunately they were mostly the disorganised bands of criminals that they'd always been in the past, fighting over leadership and failing to really get anywhere. Without the strong direction of Jessie or the Elite Four, the crime teams were hopelessly outmatched by James and Meowth's forces.

Gary had returned to his research, taking over from his ageing grandfather and becoming the new Professor Oak. Even in his first few months, he'd already made incredible discoveries about Shadow Pokémon and had even helped the former Silph scientists Roger, Gregory, Wolfgang and Eugene in reversing the effects of the Evolution Machine. He insisted that he'd only helped steer the ship, and that the scientists had been doing most of the work. Together, they'd produced a working prototype of a machine that would undo most of the damage done by Rocket United and the Elite Four, although they sadly couldn't reverse the forced evolution. The affected Pokémon were stuck in their final evolutionary forms for good. Praise had been heaped on him from all over Kanto for his work, and he wasn't far off mass-producing the prototype. Silph had even offered to produce it free of charge and supply one to every affected town and city in the world.

Gary had also proposed to Erika, insisting that life was far too short, and that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life wondering. The death of Amber had affected him deeply, and he wanted to honour her legacy by making a move before it was too late. Erika said yes, of course, and the two of them were now happily engaged. There were no wedding plans just yet though – Gary was extraordinarily busy with the Anti-Shadow Machine, and Erika was busy catching up on lost sleep, in between travelling around to as many places as she could to have her grass Pokémon help beautify the ravaged places Rocket United had destroyed. Her work had already started to bring wild Pokémon back, and people everywhere were noticing the difference a little bit of life and colour could make in the aftermath of the devastation Jessie had caused when she captured the legendary birds.

Brock had returned to Pewter City, although he'd left the running of the gym permanently to his younger brother Forrest. He'd started his own Pokémon Breeding business, offering classes for trainers and health products for their Pokémon. Initially he'd been doing a lot of his work for free, not wanting to charge money to people who'd suffered under the Elite Empire. He seemed happy, and as always relished in the chance to help people out.

The other members of the Elite Four – Agatha, Lorelei and Bruno – had been tried alongside Jessie, and were also sentenced to life in prison, with no chance of parole. Only Ash, Bella, Lieutenant Surge, James, Meowth, CJ, Vermillion and Saffron Jennies and Sabrina had turned up for the hearing. The others still couldn't handle looking at them, and had decided it was best if they didn't go at all. Celebrations had been held all over the world when the sentences were passed down, and for the first time in a long time the world felt like it was a happy place again.

It hadn't all been positive, though. Amber's funeral had been held a week after Lance and Agatha had been defeated, and Misty sat through the entire thing barely showing any emotion at all. She was still unable to look people in the eyes, and hadn't spoken to anyone at all since Amber had passed away. She managed a speech at the funeral, and her words brought tears to everyone present, but that was the only time she'd said anything. She spoke of how Amber had turned her life completely around since leaving Rocket United, transforming herself into a selfless, fearless hero, and how even in the short time they'd been together she'd shown Misty what it truly meant to be loved by someone. Even Sabrina cried when Misty said her last goodbye.

Misty sat on the roof of the Cerulean Gym with Amber's Ninetales, silently watching the clouds go past. She'd been there for hours already when she heard a very familiar voice calling up to her.

"Hey Misty, you wanna come down and say hi?"

She looked down at Ash, and saw Professor Oak with him. She managed a subtle smile, then made her way down to greet them.

"How's things?" Ash asked clumsily. "I mean, I hope you're doing okay…we've been really worried about you."

She grabbed Ash and hugged him tight, holding it for much longer than she ever usually did.

"I think I'm okay," she answered, her voice cracking badly after months of not saying a single word.

"Well that's good to hear, because boy have we got some news for you," he grinned.

She raised an eyebrow in puzzlement at him, and he turned to Professor Oak to allow him to explain. He cleared his throat.

"I've been appointed the new head of the Pokémon League," he announced.

Misty smiled warmly at him, feeling better than she had in a long time.

"That's wonderful news, Professor," she hugged him. "Congratulations."

"That's not all," he continued. "One of my first tasks, other than rebuilding the League's reputation and re-establishing the tournament, is to select a new Elite Four."

She raised her other eyebrow, not entirely certain where this was going.

"Ash, Sabrina and Gary have all said yes already."

She opened her eyes wide, finally realising what was actually happening.

"What?! You want…me? To join the Elite Four?"

"Not exactly," he clarified. "As the current and only surviving Pokémon League champion, I'd like to ask you to _lead_ it."

Misty's jaw dropped, and she didn't say anything. Oak and Ash looked at each other in confusion, not sure if they'd said something wrong.

"…you _can_ say no, if you wish. It's not an order, it's simply a request."

"No! I mean, yes, of course! I'd love to! It'd be my honour! I'm just so surprised that you'd ask me."

"It really wasn't up for debate, Mist," Ash smiled. "I hate to say it, but not even I can keep up with you these days. You're the obvious choice."

"I'm overwhelmed…" she gushed. "I mean…wow…the Elite Four? And Ash admitting that I'm better than he is?"

"Don't tell anyone I said that," Ash frowned.

"Amber would be so proud of me," she said, a couple of tears running down her cheeks.

"I hope those are happy tears," Oak smiled.

"Yes! Of course they are," she rushed forward and gave them each another hug. "It would be my absolute honour and pleasure, Professor. Count me in."

"That's excellent news," he chuckled. "I'm sure Amber is watching you right now, cheering you on. Her girl has made it all the way to the top now. We're all incredibly proud of you. You've come such a long way."

"I have to tell my sisters!" Misty squealed, rushing off back inside the gym, but stopped and turned around about halfway to the front doors.

"Oh, um, make yourselves at home, feel free to open a bottle of Daisy's champagne!"

Ash smiled broadly as she ran inside. A warm tingle ran through him, seeing her this happy again. He – and everyone else – had feared that she might never be her old self again after losing Amber, and seeing her like this made the world feel right again. She was obviously going to need more time, and her heart was always going to be broken now, but at least life could continue for her.

"I forgot what a beautiful smile that girl has," Oak said to Ash.

"She really is one of a kind," Ash agreed. "You've made the right choice. She's going to be a great Champion."

He looked up at the sky, not caring whether the gesture was misplaced or not. It was the thought that made the difference.

_Thank you, Amber,_ he thought to himself, and hopefully her too._ Thank you for everything. We'll see you 'round._

He saluted to her, wherever she was, then followed Oak inside to join Misty.


End file.
